Bikon and Beta
by Queen of Blades
Summary: The next book in the Korunue series! The story of alternate-universe Kor as she struggles with suicidal thoughts and meets the love of her life... and it's not Ronin! Wow... found 2 chapters on my desktop comp I forgot to upload. O.O so here they are!
1. Of many Meetings and the First Entry

A/N- I apologize in advance if it's hard to follow. I've been getting more and more like RP with each fic, and this fic reads a lot like an RP log, except for a few added comments and descriptions.   
  
Disclaimer: Dami owns Gamma, and.. um.. other chars... this was long ago, I forget who played who. Emmie owns Tamaly and (I think) Gran, and Ali owns Ali and Weianne. I own Korunue and Aldrea and Kit, but not Kikyo or Kagome or Inuyasha. And Jeff owns Ronin.  
  
Bikon and Beta  
  
Taken from the scrolls of the Chronicals of Bikon  
  
Chapter 1- Of many Meetings and the First Entry into Bikon  
  
Korunue finds herself in a forest. She looks about, then looks behind her, not minding the rain any. She panicks, not seeing the portal she had just come through! She has black hair with black dog ears sticking up from it, and wears a white kimono with black trim, a backpack, and a quiver of arrows, and she carries a yuni, or bamboo bow. She reaches an arm behind her....and it vanishes up to the elbow. Korunue pokes her head through the rip in thin air, and then brings it and the arm back, relived. She takes an arrow from her quiver and sticks it into the mud, head down, to mark the spot, since she can't see the magic of the portal. That done, she looks about for someone. Anyone. Korunue looks about, sniffing the air. Damn air transmitted so many cool, foresty smells... she remembers the forest she came from, and the lake.. the calm, peaceful lake... so still, so quiet... ah, but she was here to learn. Not... swim.  
  
Korunue looks about, taking a few steps forward. Aldrea had thought this place could help her... she said something about strange magic... and her human side was starting to not like this silence. Korunue hears footsteps! her puppy-like ears swivel to point to the sound.. ahead of her. "Hello?" she calls, timidly, wondering if it was friend, foe, or fawn...  
  
Gamma stops as he hears the voice. "Hello. Are you ok?" Gamma has a slight blue tint to him and has short, dark blue hair. He looks to be around 17 and wears a red shirt and a pair of red pants.  
  
Ali_Cia hears the call. "Greetings! How are you?" Ali is a young woman, with brown hair and green eyes with blue fringes. She has large, silvery-white dragon wings as well.  
  
Tamaly calls out too, "Hi~." Now, Tamaly is a young woman, with short green hair and wearing plate armor and nailruns. And she has a tail.   
  
Gran calls out too, since it seems to be okay, "Hello there!" Gran has little part in this story, but for future reference, he is a man with 3" long platnum/silver hair, wearing armor.  
  
"Salutations!" calls out Weianne. Weianne is a girl, with olive-green skin and black hair.   
  
Korunue jumps, then scolds herself for not hearing how many there were. She heads towards the sound, reaching the ragtag group... and draws back in fear. Monsters! Aldrea had sent her to a place of demons! Her eyes widened in fright as she remembers other demons she has met... would they, too, attack her?  
  
Ali_Cia notices the fright and stops dead in her tracks. "Hey there. We mean no harm."  
  
Gamma is surprised at Korunue's reation. "Yeah we just wanted to see if you were alright."  
  
Weianne looks up at Gran. "Why is the visitor so frightened?  
  
Korunue blinks. well, they didn't SEEM dangerous. She sniffs, tentitivly, but the rain was confusing her senses.... she blink some more. "um... hi?" she asks, timidly. "Er... Aldrea sent me... " she says, at a loss for other words.  
  
Gamma smiles. "Oh. How is Aldrea and Kit doing?"  
  
"Ah, yes, Aldrea." Ali says, nodding. "We were wondering where she was."  
  
Gran smiles, "Weianne, she's just not used to this place yet...give her some time"  
  
Tamaly decides to stay somewhat quiet. Weianne nods. "Alright, Gran."  
  
Korunue smiled. She was in the right place! "heh... She's my... roommate and friend. I havn't seen Kit about much lately... anyway... she said you might know about... interesting powers?" she asks, hopeful.  
  
"Yes, we know about some very interesting powers indeed. But this isn't the place to talk about it. Would you like to come inside? We have a good fire going and plenty of food we gathered this morning. It's better than this chilly rain." says Ali, invitingly.  
  
Korunue shrugs. "I suppose... rain doesn't bother me much..."  
  
Ali Cia nods. "Come on, everyone. Back to the den." She slowly turns around, making sure that nobody accidently loses their magical "umbrella" and heads back toward the stone hill. Gamma walks back with Ali.Weianne has no trouble keeping up.  
  
Korunue follows, a bit behind the others, unsure of herself... she wishes she has Ronin with her- he always was stronger. But this was for him, too....Ali Cia continues to keep her wings up when they reach the enterance, making a draconic bow of her head to Kor. "A pleasure to have another guest. Will you be needing a room? We just added a few extra rooms if you would like one." Gamma walks in with Ali to avoide the rain. He looks back for a second and shivers. Then heads to the main room.  
  
Korunue shrugs. "I don't think I will... I marked the portals, so I can get back home, and if I'm gone too long Ronin- my fiancee- might get worried."  
  
Ali Cia nods. "Understandable." She lets Kor go in first before following. "What powers did you come here for? I must warn you ahead of time that we are in a rather sticky situation ourselves and it will be difficult to hand out services just yet."  
  
Korunue frowns. "er... well.. I'm not entirely sure.. see... I was possesed a while back... I happen to have someone looking out for me on the other side, they're holding her off for the moment, but... she used some powers, and it seems they were mine... Maybe I can help with your situation, though?" she asks, politely.  
  
"That is very generous of you. Have a seat. I apologise for the lack of seats around here. I never expected visitors when I built this place but.. here we are." says Ali.  
  
Gamma walks over to Korunue with a smile on his face. "Hello. I'm Gamma."  
  
"I'm Gran." says Gran, with a wave.  
  
"Tamaly." Tamaly introduces herself.  
  
"Weianne." adds Weianne.  
  
Korunue sits. "Pleased to meet you both." then she rummages through her bag. "oh! I almost forgot. " She pulls out a scroll- a note from Aldrea. She offers it to Ali.  
  
Ali Cia takes the note and changes into her human form to take up less space, leaning against a wall and reading. Our many sources have reproduced the exact text of the note.  
  
The note says "This is Korunue. She has some sort of guardian powers or something- I can't quite make it out. But it is power, and if she could control it, firsthand reports say that it is powerful. And it takes a whole lotta power to try and get rid of that haze, after all. Be gentle, though- she's had it rough. -- Aldrea"  
  
Ali Cia nods and folds up the notes. "She says to be gentle, and I see no reason not to. I've diagnosed many abilities in my days, but I can still make mistakes." She seats herself, cross-legged, across from Kor. "Would you like me to diagnose now?"  
  
Korunue nods, casting her eyes down. "What do I do?" she asks, timidly.  
  
"First thing. Relax. " Ali smiles. "Trust me, it won't hurt unless you have something that's really strange and doesn't like me. But that's rare. " She holds out her hands for Kor to take.  
  
Weianne looks to Gran. "What's going on?"  
  
Korunue smiles a little, ashamed of herself, and takes Ali's hands.  
  
Gamma smiles. He thinks this is going to be intresting.  
  
Ali Cia closes her eyes. "You may close your eyes too. If you feel or see anything strange, please don't jump."  
  
Korunue closes her eyes lightly, picturing the lake to help calm her jumpy nerves. So peaceful... and it had been peaceful below the water, too... though she wasn't breathing.. but breath would disturb the death-like peace... it had been nice, just sinking...  
  
Ali_Cia relaxes and uses her extra sense to try and find the source of the power.  
  
"Ali is teaching her Magic." Gran tells Weianne.  
  
"Oh... it must be fun." Weianne replies.  
  
Gamma continues to look at Ali and Korunue. He seems really intrested in it. Tamaly isnt paying attention, and leans against the wall, still a bit upset.  
  
Korunue gets lost in her little daydream, not noticing anything happeneing to her. The lake... and the darkness, that dark place she refused to name. Perfectly still.. her pain was gone, she didn't care about anything anymore.. until Ronin followed her. She tried not to dwell on how he must have felt: wakening to see her cold body, his own dagger sticking out of her chest... she forced her thoughts back to the lake, and the peacefulness.  
  
Ali_Cia continues to search, trying to identify any powers she stumbles across..At long last, she releases Kor's hands. "I am afraid that I have not encountered such powers as this..."  
  
Korunue frowns, waking from her daydream. "oh..." she says, softly. "Alright then. Now what should I do?" she is rather submissive.  
  
Ali Cia shrugs slightly. "Have you ever been able to use your power at will before?"  
  
Korunue shakes her head. "Last time... I got really mad... but then I got possesed... but I think..." she looks confused. "Every time I think I can use them, I got possesed... "  
  
Gamma thinks and looks over to Gran. "Whats possesed?"  
  
"Having the body taken over by an outside source...such as a ghost, or spectre..." replies Gran  
  
Ali Cia nods. "It rises during anger and perhaps releases a spirit. I wouldn't be surprised if it is trapped in a pocket within you."  
  
"Oh. Good thing im not possesed. I could hurt someone." replies Gamma.  
  
"I know who it was who possesed me... and there's a spirit on my side restraining her for now... She wants revenge on my father. If that helps any..." Korunue adds, helpfully.  
  
Tamaly grumbles and walks outside, deciding to train regardless of the rain.  
  
"Ah, revenge. I've seen that all too often. If you wish, I can trap it with a spell, but you'll have to keep the object I trap it in with you." Ali mentions.  
  
Korunue shrugs. "I thought maybe, if I could use my powers... I might be able to hold her off."  
  
Ali Cia nods. "That would be a good idea."  
  
Korunue smiles. "So... what should I do?"  
  
Ali_Cia takes a deep breath and looks upward. "I do not know quite yet..." She reaches up and takes a diamond pendant out of the air. "Wear this. When you become posessed, the second diamond will resonate and flash." She takes another diamond from the air and hangs it from the ceiling of the main room.  
  
Korunue puts it on, though she explains "My mother, though, said she'd hold her off of me for a while... and unless I get mad, she can't come anyway...."  
  
Ali Cia nods. "Well, I will help you when the spirit comes, trust me."  
  
Gamma nods. "Ali really good with this type of stuff."  
  
Korunue nods. "But, what should I do about my powers?" A squeal is heard as a black demon carcass rolls down the stairs with a sickening thud. Tamaly walks back in, covered in demon blood, half limping.  
  
Ali Cia stands and hurries over. "What happened?!"   
  
Gamma walks over to Tamaly, concern on his face. "What happened are you alright!?" Korunue looks up, her ears suddanly straight up, her eyes widening. She remains still, getting scared.  
  
"I...seem to attract evil...and I'm fine, just a sprained ankle..." Tamaly assures them.  
  
Gamma nods to her and looks over at the dead demon. "What do we do with this?"  
  
"Well...it wouldnt smell very good if burned, and it's not very good to eat..." Tamaly says, frowning.  
  
Ali Cia nods and offers her arm for support. "How about I take you to your room?"  
  
"I dont have a room...and I dont need any help...also, I dont like to be touched...at all..."  
  
Ali Cia nods and draws her hand back. "My apologies."  
  
Korunue quivers in her seat. "Is this... normal?" she asks, timidly, her ears going crazy searching for any other signs of attack.  
  
"For me it is...demons seem to follow me, waiting for their chance to taste my blood..." comes Tamaly's reply.  
  
"How unusual..." murmers Gran  
  
Gamma looks over the carcass. The mark in his forehead flashes black. "What was this thing? The energy it has is weird."  
  
"I dont know...all i know is that it reeks of evil..." replies the warrioress.  
  
Korunue frowns. She hugs her knees to her chest, puts her head on them, and daydreams of the lake once more... the peaceful lake... though, she supposed it had been cold... and she supposed her lungs musta been burning... but at the time, her mind was otherwise occupied... the peace... she found it hard to concentrate on things like weddings when so far from home.  
  
Gamma looks over to Ali. "Do you want me to get rid of it?"  
  
Ali Cia walks over to Kor and kneels beside her, glancing back to Gamma. "Yes, please."  
  
"That...might not be a..." starts Tamaly  
  
Gamma nods. he moves his hands over the carcass and his hands glow. Strands of black energy are drawn from the carcass to his hands. Black lines run along his hands and up his arms. It takes longer than it usually does but eventually the carcas crumbles completly to dust. The mark on his head flashes black and he backs away from where the carcass was and falls backwards onto his rear. "What was that?"  
  
Korunue had shut her eyes, and was not paying attention anymore. She opens them, and, seeing nothing interesting, shut them once more, to return to sweet daydreams while she let the others deal with this.  
  
"I tried to warn you..." murmers Tamaly.  
  
Ali Cia pats Kor's back. "Do you want me to take you to a room?"  
  
Gamma shakes his head a little. "Owww. That was not good. It's never done that before."  
  
Korunue opens her eyes once more. "I'm fine... don't worry.... he looks like he needs help, though." she says, motioning to Gamma. She was content to sit here and wait for things to make sense... at all....  
  
Tamaly leans against the wall, still drenched in the demon's blood, sighing, "I tried to warn you, but now, you dont listen..."  
  
"Are you alright?" Weianne asks, stooping over Gamma.  
  
Ali Cia nods and goes over to Gamma. "Maybe you should be cautious when absorbing things you don't know about."  
  
"He'll be fine...no worries...he just absorbed too much evil energy" mentions the ever-helpful Gran  
  
Gamma turns to Tamaly. "Its kinda hard to stop in the middle of doing that ok." The mark on his forehead flared black. "I'm not sure. I don't appear to be hurt."  
  
Ali Cia frowns. "Looks like you're a little evil now.. your mark is turning black."  
  
"Maybe you should ask next time, ya think? Grrr...you make me so mad..." says Tamaly.  
  
Gamma turns to Tamaly. "You act like I meant to do that."  
  
"You didnt? You acted before thinking..." asks Tamaly.  
  
Weianne looks up to Gran. "I'm going back to the room."  
  
"Alright, I'll go with you, if you dont mind." replies Gran  
  
Weianne nods and heads back to the room to sleep. Gran follows her.  
  
"Well I'm sorry that not everyone deals with this kind of thing everyday." Gamma replies, a bit vexed.  
  
Korunue is utterly confused. She doesn't say anything, though... she tries to think of something different, other than the cool, calm lake.... She remembers her friend's words: 'you don't want him to kill himself, yet here you are tellinghim the 2nd best way to do it!' She wonders what the best was...  
  
"I dont have a choice in the matter...I have to kill or be killed...these confounded demonic beasts wont leave me alone..." replies Tamaly.Then she growls and hisses, "I'll be back...this blood is clotting on my fur..."  
  
"Lots of water.." suggests Ali.Tamaly walks back up the stairs, outside, standing in the rain.  
  
Gamma sighs and mumbles under his breath. "Great now she's mad at me again."  
  
Korunue shudders at the thought of blood in her fur. "Should I be doing something?" she asks, at long last, in a small, timid voice.  
  
An ominous, soundless bolt of lightning flashes in the sky, and suddenly, Tamaly is surrounded by demons, wraiths, shadows, anything evil from the area. "...Ah, shit..." is Tamaly's only response.  
  
Gamma blinks as he feels something. "Theres a lot of somethings here." HE runs to the entrance.  
  
Ali_Cia blinks. "Tamaly, you really DO attract evil."  
  
Korunue blinks. And blinks. "er... should I help?" she asks, looking to see how many arrows she has.  
  
Tamaly growls, showing her teeth, in a defensive position, "This, will not end well..."  
  
Gamma ignights his Z saber. "We need to help her."  
  
Ali_Cia turns and heads into her room, grumbling at the fact that so many people are still using it.  
  
Korunue starts to head out to help, but then remembers the last time she pulled a bow on a living being. She doesn't trust herself... and she didn't want to endanger anyone... so she staya inside, going back to her spot, and sitting. From her spot she can year yelling and squealing. "TAMALY, DUCK." "GREAT"  
  
Korunue puts her head on her knees, hearing the sounds of the fight outside. She feels entirely useless. She shuts her eyes, and lets the silent tears flow. she misses Ronin already, though she's only been gone half a day, and she feels worthless and alone once more. Magic or no, she decides, she'll head home soon and never leave again.  
  
Ali_Cia comes out of her room, a dragon once more. She lies down beside Kor. "Are you alright?"  
  
Korunue looks up, miserably. "yeah... I guess I'm just a little homesick... plus I can't fight, so I'm not much use to you all..." she murmers.  
  
"Some battles you just have to stay out of. I was once the heroine of the whole galaxy. Now I choose to stay here while they fight it out. They need the practice." replies Ali. A crack of breaking bone can be heard from outside.  
  
Korunue sighs. "I suppose..." she still feels useless and homesick... home? what was home? Ronin-sick, then. She missed him. But... she needed to learn. She had to put her life together, before she married him. She had to find something to focus on, to help her stop thinking about the peaceful lake...  
  
"If you wish, I could teach you a few spells that might help you.. of course, with my methods.. it might take you a while to learn.." Ali offers  
  
Korunue looks up. She nods, glumly. "alright." If only she had a spell to help cure her of evil, evil thoughts that would hurt Ronin... that was what she really needed. Without possesion or suicidal thoughts... she could maybe pretend to be normal, to live a semi-normal life,and she'd stop hurting Ronin.  
  
"ALI I THINK WE NEED SOME HELP"  
  
"There is a way to bind your consciousness to reality.. but then you would not be able to become unsconscious. If the spell succeeds, you could keep the spirit from taking-- whoop. Coming!" Ali is interrupted by the cry. Ali Cia stands up and runs outside, leaving Kor alone again.  
  
"Shit!!"  
  
"Come and get me!"  
  
Korunue looks confused, but stays where she is, returning to her thoughts. A sharp smell of dragon blood fills the air. Korunue smells it and gets concerned. She stands, then sits, then stands once more, wondering what to do. She sits, again, miserable.  
  
"TAMALY CAN YOU GET OVER HERE?"  
  
"Gamma! Tamaly! Get inside, NOW!"  
  
The two of them rush by Kor, moving quickly, leaving her alone again. After some time, Korunue finishes her cry, drying her tears. She needed help, and NOW. She listened to see where people were, and used the subtle sound of Gamma's breath in the stillness to locate him and go to where he was. She paused in the doorway, knocking softly on the door.  
  
Gamma looks over to her. HE has a sad look on his face and the mark on his forehead is still black. His red, slitted eyes show sadness. "Hey." Tamaly is asleep or unconcious in the bed, covered by the covers.  
  
Korunue looks back, her eyes no less sad, traces of tears on her cheeks. "hey." she replies, timidly.  
  
"You can come in if you want." He looks over Tamaly's form again and back to her. "I think I may need someone to talk to."  
  
Korunue nods, coming in. "I do too." she murmers, softly.  
  
Gamma nods. "You want to go first?"  
  
Korunue shrugs. "Just thinking... this is all so strange, and so far from home, and by myself, I keep thinking of... how peaceful it was, underwater, in a lake in the forest... how calm and soothing..." she starts, unsure how to say what she meant.  
  
Gamma sighs. "Well I can't say that I can really relate to that. I was created and I ahve no memory past about 4 days ago."  
  
Korunue nods, gravely. "See, the thing about this lake is, when I went down... I didn't want to come up. I almost didn't... I wanted to stay there in the peace forever..." the tears return to her eyes. "And before, I had tied myself up and jumped into it..."  
  
Gamma sighs. "As nieve as I may be, I don't think that wanting to die is right. As much pain as you think you might cause it's never the way. As much peace as you may want, its never worth it in the end."  
  
Korunue nods, the tears flowing harder. "I know. I do. I don't want to hurt Ronin... but... I can't help thinking about it..."  
  
Gamma nods. "I was created to be a weapon. You saw what I did to that carcuss. I was made to do that to people. I can absorb almost any energy that is used on me and I only have one weakness. Extream cold. Do you want to konw how many times I contemplated going north?"  
  
Korunue shuts her eyes, though the tears continue. "life... life is harsh, life is pain.." she murmers, then catches herself. "no! There IS joy in life!" she tells herself, trying to make herself belive it.  
  
Gamma nods. "There is joy. I found joy in knowing that there is a way that I can help people with what I have instead of hurting them. That I can save a universe with the same thing that was suppose to kill people." He looks over to Tamaly. "I also found that not everyone will fear me for what I can do."  
  
Korunue nods. "I have to get help... that's part of the reason I came here at all. I'm getting married... how can I be a good wife if I hurt him with my thoughts?"  
  
Gamma sighs. "I don't know much about marrage, but I know that it would hurt the people I know too much it I wasn't around. Not to mention that I have a lot of poeple counting on me."  
  
Korunue nods. "He loves me, and I love him.... we commited Shinju once... only, there was some kind of spell to bring us back... he saved my life, bringing me back... only now... I have to stop this!" she seems rather frantic through her tears.  
  
Gamma moves over to her. "You have to stop what?"  
  
Korunue fights for control of her tears. "stop thinking like this, stop dreaming of the lake, and the peaceful darkness of death... see? I have to! I can't be... like that... again! I'd kill him!" Somehow, in the quiet darkness, she feels like she can say anything and not be afraid, or embarrased.  
  
Gamma holds her, trying to help her get control. "I'm sure that Ali will be able to help you."  
  
Korunue continues to sob, though less violently then before. "she seemed busy... I don't wanna be in the way..."  
  
"Your not going to be. Most of my training does not require her constant watch. We'll just have to wait for her to get back."  
  
Korunue manages to quiet her sobs to sniffles. "Are you sure? I'm quite useless... I have a bad tendency to fail the people I care about... and bad things keep happening to me... I'd be in the way, or cause trouble..."  
  
Gamma sighs. "Don't worry about it. I thought I was useless when I got here. I mean what kind of good use could a half paracite be?"  
  
"yes, but... look at me! I failed my mother, I failed to atone for my failure, I failed Aldrea, I failed Ronin... I can't do a damned thing! I can't shoot living things... I freeze when I try. I can't make anything, I can't work my magic, and I don't have a craft. I'm worthless."  
  
"I can already tell your not worthless. In fact your helping very much right now."  
  
Korunue looks at him, confused. "How? All I'm doing is complaining and sobbing... and crying is weak, Ronin says, it makes you look weak."  
  
"Well, for one your keeping me from going to peices. I know that Tamaly is strong, but it's bad to se her like that, and I coundn't do a thing to help her. All my attacks did nothing against those demons. Then Ali had to attack them and get there attention for us to get away and I couldn't do a thing. Being ablt to talk with someone about it is helping me a lot."  
  
Korunue sniffs. "At least... at least you can help sometimes. I... I havn't been able to help anyone at all. I... I always do wrong... Aldrea wanted to die, and I stopped her... and I wasn't fast enough getting her magic back... and Ronin wanted to die, and he asked me the best way... I told him drowning... that's wrong, too... everything's wrong... everything."  
  
"I think that it's a good thing that you stopped Aldrea from dying. We wouldn't have the plan that we have now without her and all the people here would die. You havn't failed. I believe that these things have happened for a purpose, to give us the chance the we have now."  
  
Korunue looks down. "you should have seen her... She won't talk to me about it, but... it hurts her, being alive, she has no reason to live anymore. I could have, just a minute later... I could have said it was an accident, nobody would blame me...."  
  
"But you would know. I dont think you would want to live with that. And If you did then I wouldn't be able to help anyone anyway."  
  
Korunue lowers her ears so they point down. "But still... I caused her pain... and I cause everyone pain... all my friends... my father... and I failed to avenge my mother's death... and failed to atone for that failure..."  
  
"Well why don't you tell me what happened?"  
  
"My mother was killed when I was small. Recently, I found out that my sensai was the one who had killed her. I was out with my bow, and I came across him. I had him in range... I was aimed... but... I couldn't shoot him. He sneered at me, and when he was sure I wouldn't shoot, left. I failed her.. the only thing left to do was seppuku..."  
  
Gamma nods and waits for her to continue. HE looks over to Tamaly again and looks back.  
  
"Seppuku is... ritual suicide. So, I was ready... I made the first cut... I was about to make the final one, the killing cut, when Father came out... he saved me... but ever since... I can't do anything right, not even die."  
  
"So you wanted to kill yourself because you didn't want to take another persons life. I think the reason that you wern't able to kill yourself was because your suppose to do something. I know that there is something important that I am supposed to do before I die. Thats why I ended up here instead of where someone could use me."  
  
Korunue sighs. "More than that, though... when I saw how much I was hurting Ronin, my husband-to-be, I... I didn't want to live, it hurt so much. And... other than help him, make him happy, there's nothing good I can do at all."  
  
"Whats so wrong about wanting to make him happy. You just have to realise that you are worth something your worth it to Ronin, to Aldrea, even to Ali. Thats why they are trying to hepl you, because they care for you and want to see you happy."  
  
Korunue sighs. "I know. That's why I bother to try and stop being this way at all, rather than just give in... I just... when Ronin's really unhappy, or when I have too much time to think..." she takes a deep breath and lets it out slow. "Aldrea was worst... she was the worst failure yet... after I saved her, they took away her magic... and she decided to go back to her father..."  
  
"Well I believe that Ali will be able to help Aldrea just like she will try to help you. Now, it's getting late and both of us are going through a lot. How about you use one of the rooms for the night. Its not safe with those demons running about."  
  
Korunue nods solumnly, standing and streaching. "alright. Where should I sleep?" she asks, not knowing the layout of this place.  
  
Gamma walks over to one of the rooms across from his. HE gathers the energy around him and shapes it into a large cushion. IT will allow Korunue to sleem comfortably. He walks back. "You can sleep in the room across from here. I created a cushion of ais so you will be more comfortable. I'm sorry that I don't have any blankets. I haven't learned enough for that."  
  
Korunue nods. "I'll be fine. Sleep well... oh, and Gamma?" she asks, timidly. "please... don't tell anyone about any of this... I don't want everyone to pity me."  
  
Gamma nods. "I will do that. Do not be surprised if I do not act this way after Tamaly is ok. I doubt that you will see me act this serious for a while."  
  
Korunue nods. "I understand. Good night." she says, before slipping off to the room he had pointed out and curling up on the mattress, falling asleep almost instantly.  
  
Gamma nods as she leaves and sits back down in the chair next to the bed as he looks after Tamaly.  
  
Alright, that's good for now. Review. 


	2. of many Changes

Bikon and Beta  
  
Chapter 2- of Changes and Stupid Ideas  
  
Korunue awakens. She yawns, streaching, for the moment forgetting where she was and panicking. Had she been possesed again? She then remembered and calmed down. She ventured forth, looking for people.Korunue pokes her head into the main room. spying them. She smiles to see them. "hi!" she says, happily. Tamaly seemed to have frown wings since she last saw her. She meeps, losing balance, falling on the floor, "owww...."  
  
Gamma looks over to Korunue. The mark on his head is no longer black. He has a black tail behind him and has two horns poking out of his blue hair. "Hello. Did you sleep well?" Gamma then looks over to Tamaly. He holds out a hand to her. "You ok?"  
  
Korunue looks oddly at the new appendages but says nothing about them. She shrugs. "Well as can be expected.. I was pretty tired last night..." an odd emphasis on "last night"... perhaps to remind Gamma of his promise?  
  
"Fine..." Tamaly goes to grab his hand, and a multicolored spark comes from it, shocking her, making her pull back.  
  
Gamma draws his hand back. "Owww. What was that?"  
  
Tamaly gets to her feet slowly, still working on her balance "I dunno...I'm going to go work on my balance...I'll be back soon." She leaves.  
  
Gamma nods. He looks over to Korunue after Tamaly leaves. "Don't worry. I'll keep my promise."  
  
Korunue nods. "thank you." she says, her ear following Tamaly  
  
"Well it seems like I get weirder and weirder don't I?"  
  
Korunue nods, smiling a little. "seems like!"  
  
His tail moves back and forth behind him. "I guess the only thing i'm missing is wings huh."  
  
Korunue smiles. "I guess. You'd look funny with wings, though." she sounds MUCH happier than before.  
  
Gamma smiles. "I guess you do have a point. I guess that you are feeling better after your rest."  
  
Korunue nods. "yeah... it's worst late at night when I'm alone..." her smile wavers, but stays in place.  
  
Gamma grins. "I think your going to have a problem being alone around here."  
  
Korunue smiles. "good. Then I won't do anything stupid." She shifts, a little, searching for a new topic...  
  
"So what do you think of the new look?"  
  
Korunue shrugs. "It's alright... rather demonic, if you ask me."  
  
Gamma shrugs. "It could be worse."  
  
Korunue shrugs once more. "I've met some rather nasty demons in my day... one insisted on calling me Ronin's whore." ((A/n- Rhys features more in Rhys and Ronin. Love to hate him? Go there.))  
  
"Well, you don't have to worry about me doing that. I'm only a demon in apperance. Although I con't think blue is a good color for a demon."  
  
Korunue giggles a little. "Maybe not... but you're a nice demon, so I'll let it slide."  
  
Gamma chuckles. "Well these horns are going to make it impossible to comb my hair. I'll have to stop sleeping on my back too."  
  
Korunue giggles harder. "I bet."  
  
"Well I guess i'll have to just get use to it."  
  
a loud thumping is heard, like someone pounding on the rock.  
  
Korunue smiles at him. "I'm sure that won't matter..." she then hears the thumping. "What the..."  
  
Gamma looks around. "What is it now? I know it's not a portal."  
  
More thumping. "rrrrrrrfm!"  
  
Gamma walks over to where the sound is coming from, hoping that its not something else to attack.  
  
Korunue looks REALLY confused. "How... who... what?"  
  
Gamma finds himself looking at a blank wall. He looks puzzled, "Wow, I didn't know that walls could talk."  
  
Korunue just gives up having it make any sense at all. "um.. hi?"  
  
"mmmmrrrrrrph!"  
  
Gamma looks over to Korunue. "I think theres someone in the wall."  
  
Korunue shrugs. "Punch it. Break the wall. Then they'd come out."  
  
Gamma shrugs. "Well lets see if theres a plus side to these 'ungrades' I have." He reatches back with his right hand and punches the wall hard.  
  
The wall crumbles and Ali Cia tumbles out, coughing up dust.  
  
Korunue jumps, a little, then beams at her. "um.. hi! How... wait... er, how did you... oh, never mind. How'd the fight go?"  
  
Gamma gives her an odd look. "How did you get there?"  
  
Ali_Cia hacks up some more dust. "I, I don't know! There was this high ringing, then I was trapped in rock!"  
  
"Well I guess it's a good thing that i'm strong now huh?" mentions Gamma, smiling.  
  
Korunue smiles. "heh... I guess!" she looks rather cheery today, though if you knew what to say or leave her alone for long, all that could change...  
  
Ali Cia weakly gets to her feet and dusts herself off. "Uugh, that was a real shock.."  
  
"Well we were wondering what happened to you." mentions Gamma.  
  
"Shock.. both times" Ali says, hacking.  
  
Gamma gives her an odd look, which looks pretty funny with the small horns poking out of his blue hair. "This has happened before?"  
  
Korunue frowns. "er... that's not good?" she is mystified  
  
"no, I meant when I went in and when you got me out.. yikes.." Ali murmers.  
  
"Oh Sorry. I guess its a good thing that I didn't use the Z saber to get you out huh." mentions Gamma.  
  
"Yeah or I wouldn't be in one piece right now" comes Ali's reply.  
  
Korunue chuckles.  
  
Ali_Cia shakes her head. "I don't remember whether you said you would like some phoenix energy." Then she yawns and shakes her head. "Tell me in the morning." She heads off to bed.  
  
Gamma nods. "OK" He turns to Korunue. "It seems that a lot of odd things happen here"  
  
Korunue nods, eyes wide. "yes...."  
  
"Well I guess you'll just have to get use to it."  
  
Korunue smiles, a little. " I guess... I wish I could use my powers, though..."  
  
Gamma shrugs. "Don't worry. Ali wil figure out how to let you use them"  
  
Korunue nods. "If only I was sure I wouldn't be possesed... I'd experiment... I know I probably won't, but... I can't be sure and I don't want to hurt anyone, or end up dead."  
  
"I wonder if spirits are made up of energy?"  
  
Korunue shrugs. "Maybe..."  
  
"Well if Ali comes up with something and the spirit gets out anyway maybe i cam drain it to the point where it falls apart and dissapears."  
  
Korunue thinks. "hmmm... I'm relitively sure it won't show up... but... if it does... it might try and kill me. She... well, she hates me. She was stopped before... she'll be weak... but..."  
  
Gamma nods. "I think that it would have a hard time doing that if I got a hold of it."  
  
Korunue nods. She looks thoughtful. "Maybe.... if she did show up, and you drained part of my energy, she'll be scared, and leave..."  
  
Gamma nods. "I'll see if we can find a way to get her out before I try that. It's really dangerous.  
  
Korunue nods. "well...chances are... that she won't show up... maybe we don't need Ali after all..."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Korunue smiles. "Maybe we can try it and see... maybe we can figure something out on our own!"  
  
Gamma shrugs. "I don't know. It could work."  
  
Korunue leans against the wall. "Wanna try?"  
  
Gamma shrugs. "Ok. But if it looks like its going bad I want you to stop ok?"  
  
Korunue nods. "so.... I suppose... last time, I was really mad..."  
  
"So your going to try to think about you getting mad again."  
  
Korunue nods. "hmm.... um... great. I havn't been mad in ages... " she closes her eyes and imagines Demona, insulting her mother...  
  
Gamma walks over to her. He hopes that nothing goes wrong.  
  
Korunue seethes. She imagines all the people who hurt her on purpose... who tried to kill her... she opens her eyes, and her anger is immense. It rolls off of her in waves as her fists clench tightly, her claw-like nails drawing blood from her palms.  
  
Gamma starts to back up, a little worried about what her powers are.  
  
Korunue begins to glow purple, around the edges. It matches her purple eyes perfectly. The glow surrounds her. She looks at Gamma, seething. "what now?" she asks, though all her timidity is gone now.  
  
"Well try to concentrate on the energy and get a feel for it so you won't have to be angry to call on it again."  
  
Korunue shuts her eyes, focusing, but all she can see is Demona's face, mocking her, laughing at her torment, and all she can hear is her gentle voice, telling her there was another way: death, her escape. She growled, snarled more like, and spun around, punching the wall with a glowing fist. A dent forms in the stone where her fist hits. Her knuckles begin to bleed, but she doesn't seem to notice. She stares at it in shock and runs from the room, to the room she slept in, shutting the door.  
  
Gamma runs after her and stops at the closed door. He knocks. "Are you ok?"  
  
Korunue calls out "yes! But don't come in... I might hurt you!"  
  
Gamma shakes his head. "I dout you really could. The only thing that really hurts metroids is cold remember."  
  
Korunue calls back "But still... you saw that wall! Look, I'll stay in here until I calm down!" With that she focuses on meditating...  
  
Gamma sighs. HE goes back to his room and lays back in the chair thinking."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Korunue tentitivly steps out of her room a few days later and into the main room. She has both her backpack and her quiver on once more, and she carries her bow. Her ears flick to catch any sound, and she looks about  
  
Ali Cia is asleep in the main room, looking tired. Korunue glances at Ali, then heads to a certain spot on the wall... a small dent. She runs her fingers over it, her ears drooping. She looks down, a tear forming in her eye. Ali Cia stirs and mumbles something under her breath.  
  
Korunue starts, a little, glancing guiltily over her shoulder at Ali. She sighs, looking down once more, then starts towards the exit to outside, miserable.   
  
The violet haze burns through the sky. Dusk is illuminated by the bright purple light. The mountains shine with the eerie light and now the haze seems to snap and sparkle with hidden dangerous energy.The ground shines with the deadly spell's light.  
  
Korunue jumps, crouching, eyes widening in panic. She doesn't scream, though... the worst it can do is kill her, after all... Ali Cia stirs uneasily, her wings rustling, mumbling in another language as if she were having a nightmare.  
  
Gamma slowly wakes up and looks over to his bed. He sees that Tamaly is still resting in his bed. HE smiels at her, his tail moving slowly back and forth. HE stands up and stretches. He walks out of his room and into the main room. He sits down and waits, wondering who will show up first.  
  
Korunue spies Gamma, and bites her lower lip. She remembers her task and turns to leave, out the door to the outside...  
  
Ali Cia stirs again, snuffing and kicking her rear feet slightly. Gran and Weianne come into the main room.  
  
Korunue stops, as many people enter the room. She wondered if she would be stopped... she should say goodbye, at least... she pauses, by the door, ears drooping, looking perfectly miserable, then goes back to examining the dent in the wall.  
  
Ali Cia suddenly thrashes, sitting up, her eyes open wide. She pants, swallowing back nightmareish fear.  
  
Gamma looks over to Korunue. "You sholdn't worry about it. I made a bigger one getting Ali out of the wall."  
  
Korunue smiles, ever so faintly, barely apperent. She nods and looks down, not saying a word.  
  
The mark on Gamma's head flashes red. "It's close"  
  
Ali Cia swallows again, closing her eyes. "The walls are closing in on me," she whispers, shivering. "My time is close.. there's no stopping it."  
  
Korunue can hold back the tears no longer. They burst from her eyes as she runs out of the room, into the open, and then into the forest, collapsing sobbing against a tree.  
  
Weianne looks up at Gran. "What are they talking about?"  
  
Gamma looks over to Gran, his eyes very serious. "See if you can wake Ali." He walks out of the cave and after Korunue.  
  
Ali_Cia is already awake.   
  
"It's not anything to be concerned about, Weianne...everything will be alright" murmers Gran.  
  
"Are you sure?" she replies, uncertain. Korunue turns her ears away, not listening to them anymore.  
  
Gamma walks over to where Korunue is crying. He slowly walks over to her and places a hand on her sholder. "It will be alright."  
  
Korunue continues to sob. She jumps at his touch, and leaps up. "I... I..." she murmers, pulling an arrow from her quiver, though she has dropped her bow.  
  
"Don't worry it's only me." he says, soothingly.  
  
Korunue looks up at him through the tears. "I know." she whispers, softly, placing the arrowhead flat against her wrist. A little more pressure... or turning it a little... the edge was dangerously close to her veins.  
  
Gamma looks at the arrow and back to her. "You know I can't let you do that."  
  
Ali Cia scrambles through the grass, slipping, falling, screaming and writhing under the violet light.  
  
Korunue closes her eyes, her breath ragged with sobs. She says nothing, nor does she move.  
  
Gamma hears Ali moving but his attention is on Korunue. "This isn't the way to do this. As much as it may seem like the only way, you shouldn't do this."  
  
Korunue continues to keep her eyes shut, and her arrow in place. She wimpers a little, but does not move otherwise.  
  
Ali Cia whimpers, curling up into a ball. She seems to wince every time the violet haze pulses. "The end! I thought I'd never see it, but I am! The end of all life! We're gone! Gone!"  
  
"Please Korunue. put down the arrow. There is no need for you to do this."  
  
Korunue sniffs, tears flowing from her closed eyes. "yes there is..." she whispers softly.  
  
Ali Cia whimpers, shivering, her face covered with her hands. "The end... no stopping it."  
  
Gamma shakes his head. "What could that possibly be?"  
  
Korunue sniffs. "oh god, I... i'm useless, worthless, I failed everyone, I let everyone down, I hurt Ronin, I can't control my power... it'll hurt him someday, I'll get possesed or I'll get mad and turn on him, like everyone else... I'll never be able to control it..." she whispers, her voice scarecly audible.  
  
Ronin is crouching in a tree near Kor. He has no idea who this man is near Korunue, and he doesnt like him nearby. He stands up, still in the tree. Looking down he draws his swords and drops to the ground right next to Kor, growling at Gamma.  
  
Gamma slowly backs away from Ronin. "Hello sir. Would you happen to be Ronin?"  
  
Korunue jumps, a little, hearing Ronin,and her eyes snap open. "Ronin!" she whispers, then looks down at her wrist. The jump had caused her hand to shake, a little, and the arrowhead had just broken the skin.. she was bleeding a little, but she had not severed the vein, 'twas merely a scratch... one more shock, though...  
  
Ronin glares at Gamma and nods before deftly putting his swords back in their sheaths and turning to Kor. He looks at her, studying her for a moment. His eyes run over her figure and finally focus on her wrist. "Kor" he says looking back to her eyes. "Not again...."  
  
Ali Cia cries out as if in pain, shuddering, her wings beating against the ground like a dying swan.  
  
Gamma walks over to Ali since Kor seems to be taken care of. "Ali? Whats wrong?"  
  
Korunue says nothing, closing her eyes once more. Tears continue to slide down her cheeks. She does not move, staying very still, on the border of life and death...  
  
Ali Cia continues to thrash and cry out. "It has me! It has me!"  
  
"What has you? I don't see anything?"  
  
Ali Cia suddenly gasps, clutching her throat. She squeezes her eyes shut and beats franticly at.. something.  
  
Ronin takes Kor's hands in his and turns her to him. "Why Kor? Why again?" he says, studying her face closely. "We're supposed to get married soon Kor? You trying to stop that now?"  
  
Korunue does not answer. How... who... when... he wasn't supposed to be here! She was supposed to sneak off and die, while everyone was preoccupied.  
  
Gamma tries to think of what is effecting Ali like this.  
  
Ronin squeezes Korunue's hands. "Answer me Kor!" he says firmly. "You want me to kill myself again? I've got my daggers...."  
  
Korunue sobs harder, wimpering. "no, no!" she whispers, tormented. "please..." but what is she pleading for? What does she want?  
  
Ali Cia suddenly shudders and collapses, her mouth open in a silent gasp as her eyes slip shut.  
  
Ronin makes Kor drop the arrow head and then pulls her close in a hug. "It'll be alright Kor, I'm not going to kill myself. And neither are you."Aldrea comes out of the portal and into the woods, Kit gliding ahead of her. She notes the haze and curses. She does not have a backpack (since Kor is wearing it now lol) but she carries some scrolls. Kit chirps, and she avoids Kor and Ronin as she makes her way out to find Ali.  
  
Gamma senses Aldrea's portal and calls out. "We're over here!"  
  
Ali_Cia doesn't move, every muscle in her body relaxed. Not even her chest stirs with a breath.  
  
Korunue allows herself to be hugged, though she says nothing. She knows better than to try and grab the arrow, but she stares at it longingly. If only... she sobs on his shoulder.  
  
Ronin squeezes Kor tightly. He reaches up and places a hand on the back of her head. "It'll be alright Kor, but we need to get through that portal and out of here."  
  
Aldrea nods and heads over to Gramma, looking at Ali. "What's happening?" she asks, trying to sound calm.  
  
"I don't know. She just started saying something like the end is here and then she was like this." Gamma replies  
  
"What'ss happening is the end of the galaxy!" a hissing voice slashes through the air out of nowhere.  
  
Gamma looks around at what could have said that. HE didn't sense any portals.  
  
Aldrea looks about. "Right then.. I take it the haze is near? Perhaps it has a mind-altering effect..."  
  
Korunue sniffs, not wanting to go... She pulls away and looks down, ears drooping sadly  
  
"It iss near, but it doess not alter the mind..." A white fog suddenly appears over Ali's body.  
  
Gamma starts to back up. He dosn't know what this thing is or what it's trying to do to Ali.  
  
Ronin tugs on Kor. "We need to go Kor, Im serious."  
  
Korunue swallows hard. "Why? Why bother running? Why escape? Why not stay here and die, like everything else? That purple stuff kills, Ronin. And I can't do a thing to stop it..."  
  
Aldrea frowns at it, and readies a sheild spell, sending it to Kit, who flees to a treetop.  
  
Ronin pulls on here some more. "Kor, I don't wnat to die. I want to get married to you."  
  
Korunue closes her eyes, sobbing quietly. She does not answer.  
  
The mist slips forward toward Gamma. "Have you ever wondered what oblivion feels like?"  
  
Ronin tugs harder. "Kor, lets go now. If you don't come, Im going to make you.  
  
Aldrea scowls. "Don't. We have a world to save." she says, sternly, as if repremanding a small child.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that"  
  
Aldrea scowls, grabbing her sword. "You're not Ali." she says, calmly, narrowing her eyes. "Who the hell are you?"  
  
Gamma slowly backs away towards Aldrea. "I'm afraid I can't let oblivion happen either."  
  
Korunue sobs. She does not say anything. She does not do anything. She just... sobs.  
  
The Myst materializes into a young man with grey hair and a grey cloak. "I am Myst," he bows mockingly, his red eyes glinting in the violet light.  
  
Aldrea scowls. "you set off that spell, didn't you?" She wets her lips and whistles a draconic command: "go! go away and do your thing! Hurry!" It would sound like an ordinary whistle to all non-dragons.  
  
"You mean my wonder of wonders? The spell that took me years to plan and gather, waiting for the right time?"  
  
Gamma looks over to Aldrea for a second and back to Myst. His eyes stay on him.  
  
Ronin pulls on Korunue, dragging her towards the portal.  
  
The_Myst glances down at the dragon's body, a flame appearing on her flank. "It appears your /friend/ has met the end of this life.."  
  
Aldrea whistles "Go!", and then scowls. "That's nice. Good for her." She makes sure Kit is well hidden in the forest, to be on the safe side.  
  
Gamma gives Myst a shocked look and then looks at the flame.  
  
"I suppose you are wondering what that is... I suppose you didn't know that Ali Cia happens to be part phoenix..."  
  
Korunue tugs, a little, away from the portal, then gives in, submitting meekly, ears drooping insanely low. She looks at her feet.  
  
Ronin drags her on through the portal and into wherever.  
  
Aldrea sneers at Myst, then shoves the scrolls containing formulas and such for their.. operation... at Gamma and draws her sword. It glows blue in response to her magic.  
  
Korunue is dragged, though not without a final, heart-wrenching sob.  
  
The_Myst laughs aloud. "You want to play? Just let me take care of something." He turns toward the body again, which is now mostly burned. In one quick movement, he reaches inside the charred remains and pulls out a large egg, silver in color, but glinting with fiery colors. His fingers glow red, the light seeping into the shell.  
  
Aldrea has Kit activate the magical sheild, and charges at him. She knew lore... she knew most likely that egg would hatch into a new Ali, and most likely whatever he was doing wasn't good...  
  
The_Myst steps out of the way with strange, quick grace. "Mnn mnn mnnnn... you wouldn't want her to fall to the ground and /crack,/ would you?"  
  
"NO!" Gamma holds out his hands and starts draining the magic from Myst's hand.  
  
The Myst suddenly hisses, grabbing his arm which immediately seems to melt into the air. The egg drops toward the ground...  
  
Aldrea scowls. "I don't want you to kill her before she hatches, either." she says, then dives to catch the egg. After her charge, she was right there...  
  
Myst growls, chanting something as his only other hand begins glowing bright red.  
  
"No you don't" Gamma starts draining the other hand like he did the first.  
  
Myst howls in pain, collapsing to his knees as the energy he was gathering is drained away. "Curse you!" he hisses, his teeth bared in a snarl.  
  
Aldrea snatches the egg and holds it to her chest, then whistles. She darts towards the forest, passing the egg off to Kit, who emerges, grabs the egg tightly, and tries to fly into the treetops. She's not that good a flyer, but she manages to get into a low tree. Aldrea turns back to the battle.  
  
"YOU SHOULDNT HURT MY FRIENDS!!" Gamma yells. He starts draining Myst directly.  
  
Aldrea looks up, then back at Gamma. "Gamma! The haze! Deal with the... thing... later! Or hurry and get to the haze... "  
  
Myst cries out in pain as he disappears, drained away. Aldrea blinks. "Right then. That works too."  
  
"Ok. Now to end this." He holds his hands up and starts draining energy from the haze above them.  
  
Above, the violet light seems to stop its advancement. Its power is tremendous, and if Gamma continues too long, it might be too much. Gamma starts shuddering from the power he's draining. "ALDREA! TELL ME HOW TO FORM THE SPELL!"  
  
Aldrea closes her eyes, trying to remember.... "We need to find a hole! Feel about for something sucking up power like you do, only all the time!"  
  
Gamma tries to sense such a thing and gasps, his mark flashing purple. "I found it!"  
  
Aldrea nods. "Good. You have enough power? You want to envision it moving to where you want it... talk to it, almost, tell it it'd be better off eating the spell, but make sure it's resonating through your power!" that said, she begins to murmur the words of the actual spell, and Kit began to sing once more.  
  
Gamma nods and closes his eyes. HE starts trying to coax it into eating the energy of the spell, trying to make it sound like the best thing that it could do. He starts to feel it giving off the same feel that he does. "I think it's working."  
  
Aldrea continues. Kit's song grows more urgant, insistant, and Aldrea suddanly breaks into a harmony with her, singing words in some strange language, singing of space, and an unending hungar, and food enough for ever and ever if it goes here... her voice was high and sweet.  
  
The spell above suddenly seems to shudder as the black hole enters it. It pauses, then begins to draw away, being sucked into the depths of the hole.  
  
Gamma continues to draw energy from the spell. "Now what?"  
  
Aldrea smiles. "that's it!" she whistles in tune with the song so as not to stop the spell. "Find another! Do it again and again until it's gone!" Then she returns to singing.  
  
Gamma nods and finds more black holes, coaxing them as he did the first one to eat the spell.  
  
as the second black hole approaches, the spell seems to rip itself in half, the violet light spinning off into the darkness. A moment later, there is a bright flash of light as the black holes crash into each other. Aldrea sends mental instructions to Kit and the song soars to a new, higher key. Aldrea can scarecly manage, but Kit does beautifully. They sing of deep space, describing a location, and switch to whistling in dragon language, saying "the one with power shall make the darkness recede to the depths of eaten space, the space the hungry one has eaten" since it's still a spell and all. the light dies away and a sudden sense of warmth can be felt by those who can sense magic.  
  
Gamma feels the warmth but is concentrating on controling all of this energy that he's draining and using. Aldrea feels it and continues to sing until she is sure the black holes are gone. Then she finishes her song on a high note, suspended for a long while, then turns pale and collapeses. Kit looks to the egg, looking a paler pink but alright.  
  
Gamma finally gets control ofer the leftover energy that he drained and falls backward, looking up at the now clear sky. Aldrea is out of it, for the moment, but Kit secures the egg and flies down, dancing a flight of pure joy, trilling joy and happiness for both her and her "momma"  
  
That's a nice high note to end on. Since the story's really about Korunue, I won't go into all the other things that happen when she's not there; you'll have to learn about them like she did. 


	3. Of Tamaly and Ali

A/n- if you start thinking, "What the hell?" about some of these characters, it's because either the char isn't important to the story, Kor wasn't present for the event, or the event doesn't matter. Or any combination of the above.  
  
Bikon and Beta  
  
Chapter 3- of Tamaly and Ali.  
  
Korunue bursts from the portal, with Aldrea's backpack, and clutching a scroll. "Aldrea!" she calls, racing up to her, panting.  
  
"hmm?" replies the older woman. She was a bit preoccupied: Ali was now a baby, silver, blind dragon, and Tamaly was an angel after all, now singing a heavenly song. So much had happened in so short a time... only a few days had passed since the haze was defeated.  
  
"You got a letter!"  
  
Ali Cia squeaks and turns her head toward where Korunue is standing. "I can't smell her. Who's that?"  
  
Gamma looks over to Tamaly. He waits for her to finish.  
  
Aldrea rolls her eyes to Gamma about Korunue. That's doggygirl Kit thinks to Ali as Aldrea takes the letter from Korunue. She opens it tiredly... then stops, in shock, reading the signature. She looks up, then back down, reading carefully.  
  
"Doggygirl? You mean Korunue?" asks Ali.  
  
Aldrea looks back up, in shock. She hands Kit to Korunue. "Watch her for me?" she asks, then heads back through the portal. Doggygirl. With the doggy ears. kit says to Ali, stubbornly, as Korunue raises an eyebrow at Aldrea's retreating back.  
  
Ali Cia chirrs and listens to Tamaly's song, though she still keeps alert about everyone else. Gamma looks to Aldrea as she leaves. HE figures it must be inportant so he dosn't worry. He give Kor a wave and goes back to listening to Tamaly."  
  
Tamaly finishes the song, sighing, "I...I've never felt so much at peace before...it's so...so...comfortable..." Ali Cia curls up in Tamaly's lap, sighing in contentment.Tamaly hugs Ali, happy for the first time in a long time.  
  
"It was beautiful Tamaly." Gamma says.  
  
Korunue has no idea what to do with the dragonling. She nods to Tamaly, as Kit nuzzles her. "um... hello?" she tells Kit, unsure what to do, shrinking down a little.  
  
Ali squeaks, puzzled about the hug, but she doesn't resist. Tamaly speaks: "Thanks, Gamma..."  
  
Ali tries to squirm out of Tamaly's lap. "I wanna go play with Kit." Tamaly lets her go, nodding. Korunue sighs with relief as Kit leaps out of her arms and trots over to Ali. She smiles a little, watching them awkwardly.  
  
Gamma sighs. "I guess the fact that she remembers us now is good. At least I got rid of the spell."   
  
Ali smiles slightly and flaps her wings. "Can't catch me!" She then turns and starts running, seeming to get around much better than before. Korunue tilts her head to the side. "hmm? spell? What?" Kit chases after Ali, running as fast as she can. She is older, in a way, but not much larger or faster.  
  
Tamaly groans, a smile on her face, and lets herself fall backwards on the grass, her wings sprawled out, actually comfy, and stares at the sky. Ali Cia begins giggling, running across the grass. This continues for a while until WHAP! She runs into a tree and nearly knocks herself senseless.  
  
Gamma looks over to her. "You ok?"  
  
Ali shakes her head to clear it. "Yeah. Hard horns protected me." Kit stops in time, trilling worredly. She heads over to Ali to help her. Korunue giggles softly. Ali chirrs to Kit and grins, flopping onto her back.  
  
Gamma looks down at Tamaly. " I ended up hurting her doing it but she's alive." Tamaly closes her eyes, a nice, warm breezing flowing through the area, and lay there comfortably, off-guard for the first time since she was 8.  
  
Gamma chuckles. "I think this is the first time I've seen you this relaxed."  
  
Ali stretches out, her tail flicking. She enjoys the shade of the tree, but then decides she would like to go sunbathe. "Kit? I wanna go back to Tamaly. Where is she?" Korunue stands about, uncomfortable, not knowing what was going on at all. Kit heads over next to Ali, putting a wing over Ali, and heading back to Tamaly, careful to give trees a wide berth.  
  
Tamaly glows with a white aura in the sunlight, her feathers pure white, reflecting the sun magnificently. Gamma smiles as he realizes exactly how much like an angel she lookes like.Ali lets herself be guided by Kit and climbs up onto Tamaly when she gets near. She flops on her side and stretches out again.  
  
Tamaly holds her arms up to the sky, as if trying to grab the sun, her eyes open slightly. She smiles, laughing a little. Ali Cia begins purring on Tamaly's stomach. Gamma continues sitting there, enjoying the sight. Korunue stands at the edge of the clearing, shifting nervously from one foot to the other, unsure what to do.  
  
Gamma talks to Kor but dosn't turn around. "You can come over and sit down too." Tamaly feels as though she's touching the sunlight, like it's solid, and closes her hands around it, bringing the warm feeling to her face. She kisses her hands, and lets go of the light, 2 pure white doves flying through the air from her hands.  
  
Korunue timidly creeps over, sitting next to Gamma, saying nothing. Kit trills happily, leaping to catch the birds, but she can't get high enough and so sits and watches them. Gamma blinks. HE really didn't expect this. Ali_Cia hears the flapping of wings and raises her head. "Huh?"  
  
Kit mentally laughs. Birdies!  
  
Tamaly giggles a bit. "Tasra...it's been forever since I tried that..." She smiles, looking at the sky.  
  
Gamma smiles and speaks to Kor while still looking at Tamaly's face. "It's heartwarming isn't it."  
  
Korunue nods, meekly. She has no idea what is happening, but it looks pretty, and peaceful... like the lake... she bites her lip to try and rid herself of these thoughts. Ali sits up and tries to fly after the birds. She gets a few feet up into the air, then falls down a few inches from Tamaly.  
  
"It's too bad that part of this is because of a mistake I made." Gamma continues.  
  
"not your mistake! I said it was my fault" Ali corrects him.  
  
Korunue tilts her head to the side a little. "What mistake?"  
  
Gamma chuckles. "Sorry. I have this problem with blaming myself when I accidentally blind people."  
  
Korunue 's eyes widen, and she looks at Ali. "Oh." she says, embarrased that she hadn't noticed...  
  
Ali blinks, her silver pupils sparkling slightly. "I'll be fine."  
  
"Myst had done somehting to her while she was in her egg, I stopped him from finishing it but it still partially worked. He had blocked her memories and was slowly killing her. I was able to get it out of her with some help from Aldrea and Tamaly, but I also ended up blinding her." Gamma explains.  
  
Ali Cia lowers her head and charges at Gamma, bumping him in the leg. "I told you, I moved, it's my fault."  
  
Korunue nods. "I see." she says, leaning back and daydreaming in the sun.  
  
Gamma looks down to Ali. "I know, but I still feel bad about it."  
  
Kit curls up in the sun and goes to sleep.  
  
REVIEW, pweese! 


	4. of rebirth and new beginnings

Bikon and Beta  
  
Chapter 4- of rebirth and new beginnings  
  
  
  
Korunue wakes, some time later.Kit does too. She streaches, wondering where everyone went. Korunue and Kit are somehow teleported by a stray spell and they find themselves looking at a cave from up the mountain slope.   
  
Korunue blinks. And blinks. Kit tries to take to the air, but she's not that good a flyer yet, and she can't get far. She ends up on Korunue's shoulder. Korunue looks about, timidly. Gamma, nearby, gets zapped by a sword and falls back over and lands a little away from Korunue.  
  
Korunue races over to Gamma, making Kit squeal. "Are you alright? What happened? Where are we? Where is everybody?"  
  
Gamma rubs his hand and looks over to Korunue. "Im ok. Tamaly died. Outside of where she was reincarnated. and we are all here, in that order." A large male dragon peers out of the cave at them.  
  
Korunue blinks. "um... right then. That makes.... no sense at all. What should I do to help?"  
  
Gamma shrugs. "I don't know. I would go up to say hi but I think my apperance would get some negative feelings."  
  
The dragon says cautiously, "Are you here to see our newborn daughter?"  
  
Gamma really hopes that this works. "Actually yes we are." Korunue just... follows his lead.  
  
"Why do you wish to see her? Who told you about our child?"  
  
Ali Cia chirrs from inside the cave, "They're my friends. Fought big scary thing to save me."  
  
Kit, on Korunue's shoulder, chooses now to practive mind-talking. I wanna play! Can they come out and play please please please with me?  
  
The dragon sighs. "You can come in, but you cannot play with Ylamat, she cannot even wal--" he is interupted by a tug on the tail, Ylamat having her tiny hand around it. Ylamat is a small white dragon, a baby. the father and mother are speechless.  
  
Ali Cia grins and jumps down to stand beside Ylamat. "Well all we have to worry about now is actually getting them to believe my story." Gamma says, and starts walking towards the entrance to the cave. Korunue follows, Kit launching off her shoulder into the air, gliding a ways before crash-landing on the side of the mountain. She squalls a little, then slinks back to Korunue and hops on her shoulder once more.  
  
The parents stare at their daughter, and her mom says, "Wow...she's SO smart!"  
  
The father responds, "Runs in our bloodline, I guess..." He grins and picks Ylamat up gently. "You really are smart, just like your mother."  
  
Ali Cia curls up on the floor, rubbing her front legs which had almost been sprained as she jumped down. She hadn't known how far the jump was. Ylamat looks down, pointing, as if asking to be put down. The father laughs. "Alright then." and puts her down.Ylamat walks wobbily over to Ali, hugging her, sitting down off-balancedly.Ali_Cia wraps her wing around Ylamat, not wanting her to get too cold. Ylamat sniffs and sneezes cutely.  
  
Gamma walks to the entrance to the cave. "Hello sir, I don't think that we have been formally introduced. My nave is Gamma. IT is a pleasure to meet you."  
  
"Good to meet you too. I'm Kiroth." the father says, nodding.  
  
Ali_Cia releases Ylamat and lopes toward Gamma, bumping into his leg, then nuzzling it. Korunue gives a sort of half-bow that almost makes Kit fall off once more. "I'm Korunue." she says, softly. "And this is Kit."   
  
Rosewing! Kit protests.   
  
"Since when can you *talk*?" Korunue asks, incredilous.  
  
Ali Cia nuzzles Gamma again and points her nose toward Ylamat. "Tamaly," she whispers mentally before walking back and curling up with the little baby.  
  
Gamma smiles and thinks back to her. 'I know. I saw the sword outside.'  
  
Ali Cia chirrs slightly and invites Kit over. Kit leaps down, trotting in. She trills a greeting to Ali, turning a bright happy pink. Ali Cia lets Kit see Ylamat, grinning. Ylamat blinks at all the people. She thinks they look familiar, but cant remember. Gamma sighsa and walks over to Ylamat. HE looks over her and smiles, not saying anything. Ylamat looks up at Gamma, a bit confused.  
  
"Don't you remember Gamma?" Ali asks.  
  
Kit trills a hello to Ylamat. I'm rosewing. Who are you? she asks politely. She, like Korunue, has no clue what's going on here.  
  
Ylamat shakes her head slowly. "It's Gamma, and this is Kit. Kit, this is Tamaly. She got born again like me!" Ali explains.  
  
Ylamat falls asleep.Gamma has a blank stare for a second and then stands up. He seems to be thinking about something.  
  
Ali Cia looks up to the parents. "I'm going to play with Kit." She then turns and walks out, stumbling across obstacles and squeaking.Kit trills with glee and heads over to her friend.   
  
Korunue heads over to Gamma. "Are you alright?" she asks softly.  
  
Ali Cia turns around and headbutts Kit playfully, giggling.  
  
Gamma looks over to her. He has a crestfallen look in his eyes. "I...I don't know." Kit trills and headbuts back. Korunue places a hand on Gamma's shoulder to comfort him.  
  
Ali Cia tries to tackle Kit and wrestle with her.Kit squeals and wrestles Ali. Note that she is older and probably stronger- Kit is about 11 or 12 human years old.  
  
Gamma sighs. "It never works out huh? All that work and I end up with less than I started with."  
  
Ali Cia growls and whimpers when she's defeated by Kit. "Awww."  
  
Kit trills triumph. ha! pinned ya!  
  
Ali Cia tries to kick Kit off of her, then starts wrestling again.  
  
Korunue sighs as well. "Life is too often like that... no matter what you do you lose." Her eyes are sad, now- she stares off into the distence, over Gamma's shoulder, seeing something else entirely.  
  
Kit leaps off, and is taken by suprise, but quickly recovers.Ali Cia tries to pin Kit, but Kit's strength prevails. Kit trills once more, happily, then climbs off. Pinned ya again.   
  
Gamma sighs again. "I didn't mean to drag you down with me."  
  
Korunue shrugs. She sighs. "Look.... I... I'm sorry about what happened the other day... I... I guess I just lost it, ya know?"  
  
Ali Cia "pecks" Kit and growls.  
  
Gamma shakes his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad Ronin showed up. I was running out of options."  
  
Kit takes a good-natured swipe at Ali, trilling happily still.  
  
Korunue nods, glumly. "yes... Ronin always seems to be there just in time... except once..." she sighs. "I didn't mean for him to follow me... 'twould have been better for him not to know I was even thinking like that..."  
  
"If he had been here a minute later you would have been holding an arrow missing the point." Gamma points out. ((no pun intended lol))  
  
Ali Cia snuffs and gets up, licking her wing.  
  
Korunue shrugs. "There's always a way.. even if I have to hold my breath. And besides, the head would cut my skin before even you could reach it."  
  
"Who said I would have to reach it. I could have turned it to powder without taking a step."  
  
Korunue shrugs. She shows him her claw-like fingernails, saying nothing more.  
  
Ali Cia flicks her tail in Kit's face teasingly, grinning. Kit pounces! She leaps on the tail without warning, though her cat-like claws were retracted.  
  
"Well I would have done somehting, I have enough on my concionce without your death being on it."  
  
Ali Cia pounces on Kit, laughing and growling.  
  
Korunue nods. "I know... that's the problem... nobody wants my death on their concience, and none of them belive that I would make sure it was not on their karma, but only my own."  
  
"It would be no matter what. I believe that you have something to live for. Apparently a lot more than I do."  
  
Korunue looks down. "I suppose we have a difference of opinion on that particular matter."  
  
Kit gleefully tackles, wrestling with confidence.  
  
Ali Cia growls and suddenly has Kit pinned on the ground, grinning in triumph. Kit trills, bewildered. hey! how did you... gr.  
  
"You have someone that loves you and that your going to marry. All I really have now is Ali and she will probubly be staying here."  
  
Ali Cia laughs and gets off Kit.  
  
Korunue 's ears droop. "you have no idea how horrible that is... I know that no matter what I do, the one I love will be hurt... It's hard to see, hard to try and comfort him when I know it's all my fault..."  
  
Kit suddenly, without warning, leaps on Ali. take THAT! Ali Cia squeals and tumbles with Kit, growling and snapping playfully.  
  
"It's even more difficult to watch them die and then see them reborn but with no memory of who you are. At least you have a chance to fix things."  
  
Korunue shakes her head. "But that only hurts once, and you know the pain will eventually leave... I cannot do a god damned thing to help Ronin, sometimes. No matter what I do, it's wrong, it hurts him. And it hurts me to see him sad, again and again."  
  
"It still seems that you have more reason to be here."  
  
Korunue shakes her head again. "It hurts, just to be alive.... it hurts so badly... I can hardly stand it. I have to keep myself busy all the time, or I start thinking like... that. And it still doesn't help much."  
  
Kit rolls, then spreads her wings to cover Ali's eyes. Then she remembers that her trick won't work since Ali can't see, and ends up off balance and underneath Ali.  
  
Ali Cia suddenly raises her head and gets up, trotting over to Korunue. She bumps into her leg and squeaks, looking up with those sapphire and silver eyes.  
  
Korunue looks down at Ali. "yes?" she asks, softly.  
  
Ali Cia nuzzles Kor's leg and squeaks. "I'm hungry."  
  
Korunue goes in her backpack and comes up with some dried meat. She feeds it to Ali, ignoreing the fact that there was a dagger in the bag as well.  
  
Ylamat stirs and croons, waking up, blinking a bit. Gamma looks over to Ylamat and sighs. He really dosn't konw what to do now. Ylamat stands up slowly, working on her tiny muscles, knowing that she used to train a lot, even though she cant remember why.  
  
Gamma kneels down in front of Ylamat, he has a sad look in his eyes. "So, you really don't remember anything huh?"  
  
Ylamat speaks to his mind, "I remember some things...like for instance, how else would I converse with you? Other than this, I only remember basic things...like how I used to train all the time, and I remember Ali...but everything else is fuzzy..."  
  
Gamma mentaly sighs. "I expected as much. I guess things were going to well and someone decided to correct that."  
  
Ylamat replies, "Hey, don't worry, eventually I'll get my memory back. Just...don't be sad. Okay?"  
  
Gamma looks over to her and smiles. "I'll try." Ylamat practices walking around. Gamma continues to look a Ylamat, still a little sad but feeling better than he did before.  
  
Ali Cia chews on the meat Kor gave to her, rolling onto her back and gnawing in a cute, baby way. of course, Kit wants food as well, and Kor gives her some too. Ali Cia rolls around, chewing and acting really cute. She finishes the meat and goes over to Kor again, curling around her leg.  
  
Gamma chuckles. "At least Ali hasn't changed much." Korunue nods. Kit eats and trills happily, then climbs onto Kor's shoulder.  
  
Ali Cia nuzzles Kor's leg. "Can I be on your shoulder too?"  
  
Korunue nods. "of course!" Ylamat continues to practice walking.  
  
Ali Cia climbs up onto Kor's other shoulder and smiles at Ylamat. "How's that walking coming?" Ylamat nods and stumbles, regaining balance, continuing. "Do you want a little help?"  
  
Gamma continues to watch them with a smile. Ali licks Kor's cheek. "I love you. You're like a mom or a sister." Korunue smiles, faintly, but says nothing.  
  
Ylamat speaks to Ali via mind, I'll be fine...and hey, dont get too comfy on those shoulder, i want some cuddling soon.  
  
Ali Cia chuckles. "Yeah, there's enough cuddling from me for everyone."  
  
Gamma thinks to Ali I hope your sure of that HE mentaly chuckles.  
  
Well I can't take you all at once! You know that. Ali protests.  
  
Don't worry. It was a joke. I needed something to cheer me up he replies.  
  
Ali Cia smiles. "Watch out, I'm coming over." She spreads her wings and flies in the direction she thinks Gamma is in.  
  
Gamma actually speaks. "Ok im ready"  
  
Korunue smiles a little at that. She sighs. "So... what are we doing here again?"  
  
Ali Cia flops down at Gamma's feet, bumping into him. "Whoops."  
  
Gamma smiles and helps her up. "Don't worry. I don't mind a little bumping now and again."  
  
Ali Cia snuggles up with Gamma. "Don't worry, you're next, Tamaly."  
  
Ylamat feels that she has mastered walking and sits down exasperatedly.  
  
Gamma chuckles. "You know you have this uncanny ability to un-depress people Ali?"  
  
"Really?"  
  
Gamma nods. "Well you got me smiling. That has to count for something."  
  
Korunue says nothing. What is there to say? Ali Cia smiles. "I think it's Tamaly's turn."  
  
"I think so too. In fact I think she needs an extra special one." He starts grinning.  
  
Ali Cia nods and jumps out of Gamma's arms, flopping beside Ylamat.  
  
Ylamat sneezes cutely, a bit cold. Ali Cia wraps her wings around Ylamat, closing her eyes and sharing the warmth.  
  
Gamma chuckles. "I guess this is as good a time as any for this trick." He kneels down and places one hand palm down on the ground  
  
Ylamat leans against Ali and cuddles. Ali Cia wraps both wings around Ylamat and her tail too. She's kind of protective. Ylamat snickers in her mind, thinking, 'And I thought I was protective...now we're sorta like sisters, i guess...'  
  
Gamma's hand glows for a moment and then he brings it slowly up. As he does, what appears to be a mini version of himself appears. It looks exactly like him from his small horns to his tail. He makes the mini copy of himself wave to Ylamat. "I guess it worked."  
  
Ali Cia smiles. "That's cool!"  
  
Ylamat blinks at Gamma, "Nice...uhm...by the way...could you tell me your name so I can have an easier time remembering you?"  
  
Gamma grins. He makes the copy walk over to where Ali and Ylamat. "Gamma. My name is Gamma." HE makes the copy of himself give a short bow to them.Ali Cia laughs aloud.  
  
Ylamat blinks, a warm feeling spreading throughout her body, and her heart feels so warm, "Gamma...I may not remember you, but that name gives me such a nice feeling..." Ali Cia curls up around Ylamat and closes her eyes.  
  
Gamma feels his own heart warm. He now knows that Tamaly is still there, he just had to wait for her to come back fully. The copy walks over to Ylamat and gives her a quick hug before disappearing. Ylamat smiles for a bit, her tiny eyes still showing the warm feeling from her previous life, and closes her eyes, snuggling Ali. Gamma smiles at her, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.  
  
Ali Cia raises her head. "Do you want to hold her, Gamma?"  
  
Gamma looks over to her and nods. "I very much would."  
  
Ali Cia opens her wings. "Go ahead."  
  
Ylamat opens her eyes to a narrow vantage, and watches Gamma. Gamma walks over to Ylamat. he kneels down and edges a hand close to her to see if the same thing that use to happen still does.  
  
nice stopping place. I guess. review? pretty pweese? 


	5. Of life and death

note: some of the diolague is missing here, as the logs are spotty. Will rebuild as much as possible. Will revise later if better logs are found.  
  
Bikon and Beta  
  
Chapter 5- of death and life  
  
Suddenly, lightning flashes from the cloudless sky, striking a tree nearby and splitting it cleanly in half. Ali squeals and gets up. Gamma slowly moves his hands around Ylamat and holds her. HE has a big smile untill he sees the lightning. the tree stands there, smouldering, and split wide open.  
  
Korunue looks at the tree, jumping a little, and becoming frightened.Gamma looks over to the tree "This does not bode well." Ali Cia whimpers and covers her head with her wings. Korunue shakes her head vigourusly, as Kit whines softly. Gamma moves over to Ali with Ylamat still in his arms. "It's ok. Your safe here."  
  
Ylamat looks at the smouldering tree, unphased, What just happened? she thinks to Gamma.  
  
"Lightning. Nothing to worry about Tamaly."  
  
"Uhm...could you call me Ylamat? Think of what my parents would say if they heard that name..."  
  
Ali Cia whimpers slightly. Gamma nods. "Ok Ylamat." He kneels ovet to Ali and gives her a comforting rub. "It's ok Ali."  
  
Ali Cia closes her eyes. Ylamat rolls out of Gamma's arms and lands perfectly, stumbling a bit, and hugs ali for comfort, "Issok Ali, we're here for ya."  
  
"I feel something.. " Ali says, shivering.  
  
Korunue looks at Ali, interested. "Like what?"  
  
"something.. dark.. laughing... mocking us"   
  
Gamma tries to sense what Ali is feeling. Korunue looks about, frightened, as if to see the evil presence. Ylamat croons, then tries her vocal chords, able to hum. She hums a song, a different song, that seems to give them confidence.  
  
Korunue feels a dark, perhaps even evil presence floating above them. She looks up, seeing nothing.  
  
Gamma looks over to Kor. "What is it?" HE then looks up.Korunue shrinks down into herself, whimpering softly. Ylamat continues comforting Ali. Ali Cia shudders, looking up, frightened.Gamma looks up and tries to feel where this dark presence is coming from. it's just hanging there above them.  
  
Korunue sits, hugging her knees. She thinks.. bad. The evilness was getting to her...Gamma narrows his eyes and the sky, wonderong what this presence wants.Korunue puts her head on her knees, ears drooping, whimpering softly. Kit crawls onto her other shoulder, draping her tail around Kor's neck loosely.  
  
Gamma looks over to Kor. "Are you ok?" Korunue shakes her head. Gamma nods. "You feel it too huh?"  
  
Ylamat can feel it, but is unafraid. "What is it?"  
  
Suddenly, a red mist begins to seep up out of the ground at Gamma's feet, spinning and engulphing him in some kind of magic cloak. Korunue shrugs. "I feel something... " she says, miserably. She spies the mist and screams, falling over backwards, Kit leaping off her just in time, trilling loudly.  
  
Gamma looks down surprised. "ALI! YLAMAT! GET AWAY!" He tries to drain this magic that is enveloping him.  
  
Ylamat tugs ali away from Gamma. Ali Cia screeches at all the yelling and gets up, being tugged away. The mist is just coming too fast and Gamma is soon covered in a cloud.  
  
Gamma continues to try to fight his way out of the cloud, continuing to try to drain the magic from it. Korunue backs away, slowly, Kit following her. She crawls backwards in fear. The mist suddenly disappears.. and Gamma is gone.  
  
Korunue blinks... and blinks.. in shock. Three words keep bouncing about her head: 'I failed again, I failed again'. Her breathing becomes ragged, and she swallows hard. Kit sniffs at the spot he was in, in case something appears like last time. Ylamat blinks, "Hey...where'd he go?"  
  
"what? Where'd who go? I can't see, people!" Ali protests.  
  
Korunue can't take it... failure... and the evilness had touched her deeply... she tears Aldrea's pack off, and reaches inside, taking out an ornate dagger. She runs a little ways down the mountain, leaning against a tree with the dagger. Kit watches her go. Gamma's gone! Some red mist took him. And Korunue ran away with momma's dagger. Is that bad?  
  
"Yep! Take me to her!" Ali replies. Kor feels another presence.. not an evil one.  
  
Ylamat sighs sadly, "Man...I hate being so little..."  
  
"Me too." Ali replies.  
  
Kit heads over to Ali, bumping against her, then, dragging her tail to make a trail of sound, races off after Korunue. This way!  
  
Ali Cia runs after Kit, careful to not lose track of the trail. Korunue leans back against the tree, sitting, holding the dagger up to her wrist. "Ronin, forgive me" she murmers, closing her eyes as tears leak out.  
  
Ylamat sits down, mad that she's not strong enough to go after them. A soft voice says close to Kor's ear, ~stop.~  
  
Kit finds Korunue and stops a bit away. Straight ahead a few yards. She's got the dagger on her wrist. She seems unafraid, not having any experience with suicide.   
  
Korunue jerks up, almost cutting herself with the knife. "who... who are you? What... why?"  
  
~Shh, it's alright. Don't hurt yourself. We need you.~ replies the voice.  
  
"Who are you talking to? It's me, Ali!" Ali calls out.  
  
Korunue sobs. "no, no you don't, I failed, I fail everyone, I'm no use at all, I'm worthless...." The knife is parallel to her skin, and one twist and she'd cut the vain. "I... didn't you hear... oh god, I've lost it, I'm insane..."  
  
~don't hurt yourself. We need you. Please.~ the voice whispered.  
  
Korunue sobs. "no you don't... you're just a voice in my head... let me die! please..." she presses down, just a little, not deep enough to kill, but enough to make her bleed.  
  
~please.. trust me~ The voice seems close to crying ~I know they can't hear me, but you've got to trust me on this!~  
  
Korunue sobs. "please... I can't do anything... I need... I want to die... let me... please...."  
  
~you have to help us, you're our only hope!~  
  
Korunue sobs. "hope... how can I be anyone's hope, if I don't have any myself?"   
  
Kit turns to Ali, whistling in concern. What's doggy-girl doing? She has momma's knife against her wrist, flat, and if she's not careful she'll cut herself. Momma said not to play with sharp things....  
  
"She wants to hurt herself... she feels bad for Gamma being gone... so she wants to hurt herself for it. I did that once..." Ali replies.  
  
Kit squeals in alarm. Why? Hurting yourself is bad!  
  
"She feels guilty..."  
  
Ali_Cia turns. "We should leave her alone." She starts back toward Ylamat and nuzzles her.  
  
Ylamat sighs and plops down on the ground, wagging her tail, "This is boring...where'd that Gamma guy go? He was nice..."  
  
~you have hope.~  
  
Kit whistles sadly, and follows Ali. Korunue becomes more frantic than before. "What hope? What hope can I possibly have? I fail everyone... I hurt everybody..." she presses down harder on the knife, though she would have to turn it sideways to kill herself properly.  
  
Ali_Cia sighs. "He.. was taken, I think... Should we go listen to Korunue? She's talking to herself."  
  
~No!~ the voice seems frantic. ~Don't! Please don't hurt yourself!~  
  
Korunue sobs harder. "Why? why do you care so much? You're just a figment of my imagination... what do you care if I live or die?"  
  
"Uhm...I'm too young...she's too far away..." Ylamat says  
  
"I'll carry you" Ali_Cia gets down, spreading her wings to either side to create a sort of "saddle" for Ylamat  
  
"uhm...but my parents..."  
  
Ali_Cia looks up to the parents. "Pleeease?"  
  
the parents are reluctant, but nod, "Don't go far."  
  
Ylamat climbs on to Ali's back  
  
~We need you!~  
  
Korunue breaks down sobbing, not saying a word for a good while. She finally chokes out, "but... what could you possibly need me for? I can't... I can't do anything... I'd be in the way..."  
  
~You're the only one that can save us!~  
  
Korunue gasps, her breath staggered. "no, not me, surely... surely someone else... Ali, or Kit... surely... surely I don't... I can't... I can't do this, I can't take the pain..."  
  
Ali_Cia starts forward slowly, retracing her steps by smell until she comes to where she was sitting with Kit by Korunue. She lies down gingerly, not wanting to hurt her rider.Ylamat climbs slowly off on to the softest part of the ground she can find in the immediate area.  
  
~Please, you have to, or we'll all die!~  
  
Korunue shuts her eyes, knife on her wrist. "I can't... I... it hurts, too much.... I'll just fail you, like everyone else... I can't...."  
  
~No! You won't!~  
  
Korunue swallows hard. "yes I will" she whispers, twisting the knife. She didn't cut all the way through the vein, so she has a few minutes, maybe more, left in her.  
  
Kit trills in fear, a dragon scream, and races to Korunue's side, nuzzling the cut. She begins to sing, a healing song, hoping it would work...  
  
~DON'T! PLEASE!~  
  
Ali_Cia winces at the scream. "What? What?" Ylamat blinks a few times.  
  
Korunue passes out, and her cut heals itself, becoming a scar. Kit finishes her healing song and whimpers, climbing into Kor's lap. She cut herself! Blood everywhere. I fixed it for her. she sounds sad, not her usual perky self.  
  
Ali_Cia sighs and hangs her head, shaking it. Ylamat blinks a few times confusedly. Ali_Cia ruffles her wings. "Life is tough."  
  
Korunue stirs, a little, as Kit whines and whimpers and nuzzles Korunue's face. She groans a little, waking at the touch... "no... voices.... " she murmers, and Kit resumes her healing song to try and wake her momma's friend.  
  
Ylamat croons, "Uhm...what just happened?"  
  
"She tried to kill herself, now she's gone insane"  
  
"Oh...er...is that bad?"  
  
Ali_Cia nods  
  
~Please, wake up...~  
  
Korunue does wake, though she isn't happy. "damn voices... leave me be.... get OFF, Kit." she shoves the dragonling off her lap, and Kit whimpers, about to start squalling like a newborn. "'msorry" Kor murmers.  
  
Ali_Cia seems to wince when she hears the squealing. She turns around and lies down. "Maybe I should take you home.."  
  
~Listen, go to the stone hill, we can pick you up from there! You have to save Gamma, and save us from HER~  
  
Korunue leans on her staff heavily. She turns, looking about. "well, Kit, which way do you think?" Kit chirps. I can make a spell! she cries, gleefully. Korunue sighs. "You'll be ok here with Ali?"  
  
Ali_Cia cocks her head to the side. "I thought I was taking you home."  
  
Korunue sighs. "I... they'll never leave me be unless I do what they want... I know I sound crazy- i probably am. I just want PEACE."  
  
"well what do *they* want?"  
  
"They want me to save Gamma, and something about some woman, and to go to the 'rock hill' where you lived."  
  
"then let's go home..." Ali sniffs the dirt and, with Ylamat on her back, follows her trail back to the cave, drops her off, and follows the mother's trail to where she was picked up. She sniffs until she finds her own scent and follows that up the mountain and back to her home.  
  
Korunue follows her, Kit squealing and leaping onto her shoulder. "Ali... if you don't want to go.... it's probably a suicide mission. After all, chances are these voices arn't even real..."  
  
"If they are real, I'm sticking with you."  
  
Korunue sighs. "But.... we both know they're not, most likely... I don't want anyone else to be hurt because of me..." her ears droop.  
  
"Listen, if there's anything I've learned in my two thousand something lives, it's that you must be prepared for the unexpected and unthinkable. You'll be safer."  
  
Korunue sighs once more. "I don't want anyone else getting hurt... you'd be missed more if you didn't come back. Only one person would miss me... and he's better off without me."  
  
"Don't say that..."  
  
Korunue looks at her. "Why not? it's true." Kit whimpers on her shoulder, too young to even attempt to comfort her and knowing it. She has the mentality of a 5-year-old, roughly.  
  
Ylamat is in the cave...or something...and she sits down, looking outside, wondering what exactly is going on. Suddenly, a brick of thought hits her, and she remembers something, falling backwards. "I remember something!!" she speaks allowed, her parents nearly out of their skin. "...er...squeak...croon...?"  
  
"I would miss you..." Ali hangs her head and stops.  
  
Korunue looks at her. "you... you would?" she shakes her head. "No you wouldn't. You just want to make me feel better."  
  
"It's my weakness.. I know... I'm sorry " Ali follows scent trails into the den, stumbling down the stairs.  
  
Korunue frowns. "what is, lying to make people feel better?" She puts Kit on the ground. "Alright, little voices of mine, I'm here, now what?"  
  
~We will send a pod. Where is the dragon girl going?~  
  
"She... er... blast it all! I probably won't bring Kit or Ali, either- I don't want them to get hurt. If I'm so special, make do with me!"  
  
~What? Why not? You'll need them!~  
  
"Know what? Tell me something useful!"Korunue is near-tears once more.  
  
Ylamat blinks a few times and smiles a bit akwardly, hoping that her parents are just thinking they imagined it. She sits up and scratches her head a while before sighing and staring outside again.  
  
alright, that's about enough for now. 


	6. Of much talking and little doing

Bikon and Beta  
  
Chapter 6- of much talking and little doing.  
  
Korunue comes to, back on Nitola, with Kit sleeping next to her. She must have passed out from blood loss, and the shock of all this... she wonders if she's insane. She decides the answer is yes. She wonders if she should kill herself now and be done with it.  
  
~No. You're not insane, and you shouldn't kill yourself.~  
  
Korunue blinks, then groans. "they don't exist, they don't exist, they don't exist" she whispers to herself over and over, curling up, rocking slightly. The slight movement wakes Kit, who is about to try the whole "feed me!" routine before she gets a good look at Korunue and goes quiet.  
  
Kit suddanly sits up, throws her head back, and trills, a beautiful but mournful song. It was not a song of magic, but simply music, wonderous to hear.  
  
~We're sending a pod for you now.~  
  
Korunue blinks, swallowing hard. This was proof. If a pod did land.... they would be real... and she wouldn't be crazy, just alone, and worthless. As always. As she always would be. Kit hears her breath change and ends her song, nuzzling Korunue gently. Ali chirrs, turning her head to the side.  
  
Korunue takes a deep breath, pushing Kit away. Kit looks hurt, and turns dark blue. "'msorry..." Kor mumbles. "but there's nothing you can do to help." she whispers. Kit croons softly, sadly, head drooping.  
  
a bright light illuminates the sky, falling down and forming into a turtle-shell like metal object. Three legs fold out from underneath and it touches down lightly on the ground nearby.  
  
Korunue looks. and looks. She breathes in sharply, and Kit trills, delighted to have something new to investigate. She wants to go sniff it... but she stays by Korunue, in case she had another accident with a knife.  
  
a man with blonde hair walks out of the pod's front. He walks over to Kor and Kit. He asks something in a different language, the light blue eyes gazing down in silence. Ali_Cia chirrs lightly, sniffing the air as she smells the stranger and hears the strange words.  
  
Korunue blinks. "um... hi?" she asks, tilting her head. Kit sniffs at the guy's feet, keeping close to Korunue. help doggygirl. She's clumsy with momma's knife. Kit demands, childishly.  
  
the man stoops down and offers a hand to Kor. Korunue shrinks a little, but then figures "what the hell" and takes the hand, climbing to her feet. "so... you're the people in my head?" she asks, tilting her head a little. Kit whistles and climbs on her shoulder. The man nods.Korunue bows her head submissivly. "what do I have to do?" '.. to get you to let me die' she thinks the end to her question, though she doesn't say it. Kit looks at the man, curious.  
  
he looks to the two dragons and holds out his hand, gesturing to them both, then to the pod. Korunue nods, placing Kit on the ground and heading into the pod. Kit follows after her. Korunue knows better than to argue with the dragonling, so instead she sighs and allows Kit back onto her shoulder.  
  
the man, instread of stopping Kit from going into the pod, goes to Ali, picks her up, and follows. Kor finds that the inside of the pod is a padded compartment with seats and windows. Korunue sits, tentitivly. "so, um... what's up?" she asks, softly, wondering what it was that they needed them for.  
  
Ali chirrs and tries to get out of the man's grasp. He lets her go as the door closes. He gets to a seat in the front and works some controls. ~We can breif you when you get there.~  
  
Korunue nods and sits quietly, deep in thought. She would complete her task, then die for failing earlier. It made sense. Maybe it was a trap... but what could they do to her, kill her? panic gripped her as she thought of Kit, and she forced herself calm. Kit would be fine. She would protect the dragonling with her life.  
  
after a few minutes, everyone feels light and Ali begins floating through the air, confused, staying still as best as she can. Korunue blinks, and Kit streaches her wings, enjoying flight easier than ever before. She trilled a dragonic laugh, staying near Korunue though. her wingspan wasn't that large... she shouldn't be too much in the way. They eventually land on another planet, just a little heavier than Nitola. Ali lies flat on her stomach, not daring to move since she's lost.  
  
Korunue tumbles back into the wall, banging her head, as Kit crashes into her. She winces a little but says nothing about it. She'll have a bruise... but it's nothing much to her. "We are so glad you came," a fammilliar voice drifts in as the door opens.. A woman with blonde hair like the man and blue eyes stands there, smiling.  
  
Korunue would like to mumble 'well it's not like I had much choice' but doesn't dare. She nods meekly, politely, as Kit climbs onto her shoulder, eyeing the woman.  
  
The woman seems entirely sincere, offering her hand to help Korunue down. "this is an urgent matter"  
  
Korunue accepts the help, lowering her eyes and drooping her ears. She wonders if she'll fail them too... Kit chirps in greeting on her shoulder.  
  
The woman leads Korunue to a room, with a bed. Kor sits on it, Kit curling up beside her. The woman begins to explain. "You see, we have this enemy, and she has kidnapped Gamma. We need you to get him back. And there is this stone, this special stone she has stolen from us..."  
  
"Is it guarded?"  
  
"Yes, very heavily. We have this ring... here." She hands over a ring. Korunue puts it on. "It allows you to shapeshift."  
  
"How do I use it?"  
  
"Just think of a shape. Think hard." Korunue closes her eyes, imagining Ronin, her beloved, his eyes, his ears, his lips... she opens her eyes to find herself a perfect copy of him. She blinks, and changes herself back in much the same manner.  
  
"Very good!" the woman says, smiling.   
  
"I doubt it will help much... I don't think I can do this thing..."  
  
The woman sighs. "Get a good nights sleep, maybe things will look better in the morning." She leaves, and Korunue sighs, laying down and closing her eyes. She falls asleep withen minutes. Kit and Ali find places on the bed to curl up and sleep with her.  
  
Review. 


	7. Of dogs and fairies

Bikon and Beta chapter 7  
  
you know what? I need to get this caught up fast. So... excuse the crappy writing job.  
  
Korunue closes her eyes, fighting back tears, recalling the events of the past few days. So much had happened....  
  
She had been sitting on her bed, thinking, minding her own buisness, when Ali just... freaked out. She went into the hall to check on her.. in time to see her transform into a large, flaming bird! The bird had attacked her, and only Kit's taking off to find help had saved her from its fatal bites. She did not, could not, bring herself to fight back against her friend.   
  
They had taken her, against her will, to a medical bay, where the Phonay, as they called the fire-bird, had come after her once more. She was convinced this was some kind of sign... she was a bad, bad person. She knew if she tried to rescue Gamma she'd fail... she was contemplating suicide once more as they locked Ali into a freezer. Cold was all that could defeat a Phonay.  
  
Then she had heard noises of a battle outside. Everyone had rushed out there. She had slipped off to find her arrows so she could impale herself... and had run into Gamma! He had escaped! He was alright! She smiled weakly, happy she could die now.. but he had stopped her, hitting her with a spell to knock her out.  
  
She awakened on a starship. Gamma held the Phonay in his lap... She could feel her magic resisting, as Ali attempted to pass her curse onto her... She closes her eyes, fighting back tears, as the magic curse went into Gamma instead, and Ali reverts to her dragon form. She is so glad ali was safe... but so.. so hurt in general.  
  
~I'm going to bask in the starlight...~ Ali slips out the hatch, in her dragon form, easily keeping up with the ship, leaving Korunue and Gamma alone. Korunue sighed, looking at her lap.  
  
"How are you feeling?" asks Gamma, quietly.  
  
"I... I failed..." she whispers. "I failed you miserably... I want to die..."  
  
"You never failed me, Korunue."  
  
"I couldn't save you...."  
  
"Korunue... I was trapped, and I could only watch as you lifted the dagger to kill yourself... and I watched you set it down, and I was so relived... Korunue.. I don't want you to die..." Tears begin to fill his eyes. Korunue hugs him tightly, suprised. She wasn't used to so much emotion from someone other than Ronin...   
  
"It hurts... it hurts so much..." whispered.  
  
"I know it does..." softly, rubbing her back some.  
  
The pilot pokes her head back. "We're almost there..."  
  
Korunue nods, silent. Gamma hugs her again, then straps himself in as they land on the planet. He helps her to her feet, seeming worried about her, as they disembark, and the ship takes off again. Silently, they make camp, as it's been a very long day for the four of them. (Ali, Gamma, Kor, and Kit --author)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Korunue wakes once again, yawning slightly. She blinks a bit, wondering what to do...  
  
Gamma wakes up as well and looks over to Korunue. "Good morning."  
  
Korunue blinks some more. "ohoyo." she says at last, mumbling under her breath.  
  
Gamma blinks. "What?"  
  
Korunue sighs. "er... 'morning."  
  
Gamma nods. "Ooohh. I guess thats another language then."  
  
Korunue nods. She sighs again, looking down at Kit. Kit looked so peaceful...Gamma smiles as he loks over to Kit. "She seems happy."  
  
Korunue nods. "she's too little to be sad for long... life still seems new and exciting to her."  
  
Gamma sighs. "I guess I know a little about how that is."  
  
Korunue nods slowly. Then, her ears perk up as a random portal opens behind them. A small blue fairy of some sort races out, persued by a snarling black wolf, persued by a heaviluy injured white wolf. The fairy runs smack into a steel trap that Kor could have sworn wasn't there before and gets trapped. The white wolf leaps in front of the black, snarling at it, between it and the trapped fairy.Gamma looks at this after the mark on his forhead dims. "What are those?" He starts moving closer to the trapped fairy.  
  
The white wolf would have a magical aura to anyone who can sense it, strange as it does not come from the wolf itself. It has massive side and leg injuries, and its muzzle drips blood. They heal themselves slowly, but the black wolf lunges at the fairy once more, and the white wolf leaps in front, taking a serious hit to it's shoulder as it protects the fairy. The magic aura cannot keep up with the injuries as the two do battle repeatedly. Korunue gasps, leaping to her feet. "leave it be!" she commands, picking up a fallen branch.  
  
Gamma stops, sensing the auras and hearing Korunue. "Which one's the good one?"  
  
Korunue scowls. "if that's Jenny... and whats-her-face... then they can both go to hell." She brings the stick down on the black wolf, stunning it long enough for the white wolf to heal itself fully using its aura. The black wolf snarls and leaps at Kor, tackling her with a snarl.  
  
Gamma glares at the black wolf. "Leave her ALONE!" A sphere of energy flies from Gamma and would hit the white wolf with enough force to knock it of Kor.  
  
Korunue screams as the black wolf suddanly becomes much larger, a black dragon in the speed of thought, crouching next to Kor and lifting her with its huge teeth, shaking her a little. She goes limp as the white wolf tugs at the fairy's trap, whining. Gamma prepares another attack and then loks over to the white wolf. "What is it?"  
  
The white wolf tugs at the cruel trap, nuzling the fairy to heal it before continueing, but it was pointless as the trap still cut into it's leg. She looks up at the dragon and snarls, giving Gamma a meaningful glance and indicating the fairy before becoming a dragon as well, as bright as the other was dark. They sit and stare at each other for a long while.  
  
Gamma looks at the trap and then to the fairy, seeing that the dragons are going to fight. "I'm going to try to get you out ok?"  
  
The fairy squeaks and pulls at the trap, her leg getting more scraped than before, unable to reach the release at the side. The dragons just stare at each other, not moving. Gamma reaches over to the release to see if he can get it out. "I think you should stay put after I get you out. I may be able to help."  
  
The fairy, once release by gamma, nods, sitting on a small rock and tending to her electric blue leg, which bleeds silver blood heavily. Her entire body is electric blue. The dragons continue to stare. Gamma looks over to the dragons,seeing if he can spot where Korunue is. Korunue is hanging limply in the black dragon's teeth. The black dragon suddanly rears, spreading it's large wings, and snarls, and the white snarls back. It then drops Korunue from about 50 feet up and shrinks to a wolf once more, snarling over it's shoulder as it trots away. The white dragon turns to a wolf as well, heading over to the fairy. Gamma runs to where Korunue is falling, trying to catch her or cushion her fall.  
  
Korunue is caught by Gamma and opens her eyes, breathing a sigh of relief. "thank kami-sama." she murmers. The white wolf touches her nose to the fairy, letting her aura heal it. The fairy flies up to above it's head, and smiles at Gamma.  
  
"Thank you, kind strangers. Hmm... how to reward you..." it gives an impish smile.  
  
Gamma blinks to The fairy for a moment. "Your welcome." He carefully stands Kor on her feet. "You allright?"  
  
Korunue nods. "yeah."   
  
The fairy zips over to them, landing on Gamma's shoulder, looking like a 6-inch-tall electric blue winged human up close. "you first, I think. hmm... I've got it! how about your true nature!" a stream of electic blue fairy magic shoots towards Gamma.  
  
"My what?" He get hit by the stream of blue magic and is then surrounded by a dome of electric blue energy surrounds him. He is obscured from sight for a while but when he can be seen again he looks a little diffrent. His horns and tail are a little longer. His eyes are still slitted, but they're yellow instead of red. He also has a pair of jet black wings with feathers coming from his back. The tips of fangs poke out of his mouth/  
  
The fairy beams, then turns to Korunue. "now you." Korunue's eyes widen in shock as the fairy beam shoots towards her, and she begins to shrink. She gets furrier, and manages to croak out "help me!" before becoming a large shaggy black dog. The fairy looks pleased and flies over to the white wolf, sitting on her shoulder, engaging in mind talk as the wolf trots back towards the open portal.  
  
Gamma looks at his new apperance and them looks to Kor. "Um...what just happened?"   
  
Korunue says nothing- she can no longer talk, being a large black dog. Her tail wags as she goes to sniff him, then she yips as she recognizes his scent. She jumps up, placing her front paws on his chest, and tries to lick his face. the wolf and the fairy leave through the portal together, and it closes behind them.  
  
Gamma is surprised so is knocked over. He falls on his butt and is licked in the face. "Korunue? Is that really you?" Korunue pants happily, licking his face, and even his teeth as he opens his mouth to talk.   
  
Gamma wipes his face and tries to stand. He tries talking to her with him mind. ~Korunue? Can you hear me?~ Korunue tilts her head to the side, puzzled, and yips. Gamma sighs. "Well this isn't good." He tries to use his powers to see what the fairy did to Kor." Korunue sits, panting. The fairy simply appealed to her youkai side, turning her into a demon dog, but also changing the way her mind thinks so she now thinks like a dog, rather than a demon. Korunue always did see herself as a monster, a dog, not a human being... now she truely was. Gamma scratches his head, not bothered by the sharper claws there now. "Well this is going to be hard to fix." He goes about looking deeper, trying to see if he can see how she did this.  
  
Korunue is basiclly what her own self image always was. her memories are still there... but now she sees them as a dog does. She recognized Gamma by scent because she always had doggy senses, luckily, but knows him now in her warped mind to be her "master". Gamma sits down and looks at Kor. "This is going to take a while. I've never seen magic like this, so I'll have to try to think about how to do this from scratch, whatever that means." Korunue pants, yawning happily. She sure looks happy enough, tail wagging. nothing like the depressed 3/4-human Korunue. But then again... dogs don't get depressed, and don't dwell on past mistakes like Kor did. Gamma sighs as he thinks about this, unconciously scratching behind Kor's ears. Korunue pants happily as he does so, nuzzling him and leaning on him. Gamma continues to do this while trying to think, his own tail moving every now and again. Korunue snuggles unger his arm, tail going mad. She yawns, relaxing, content, and drifts off to sleep.  
  
Gamma looks around, waking, sensing someone, still not completly use to his new form. He stand up, streaching out his tail and his jet black wings. His now yellow, slitted eyes look around wondering who is out there now.   
  
Demona sits up. Her head was clear, or so it seemed... where was she? never mind that, WHO was she? She couldn't remember! (A/N- remember her? She's the one who shapeshifted to torment Ronin, and the one who, as a bird named Jenny, then later as a black wolf, kept tormenting Korunue. She... yeah. Long story.)  
  
Gamma looks around a little more and decides to call out. "Hello?"  
  
Demona calls out. "hello!  
  
Gamma starts moving towards the other voice. "Are you ok?"  
  
Demona blinks. "I... I don't know." She blinks. "Who am I?"  
  
Gamma shrugs, his wings ruffling as his does. "I don't know." He holds his hand out to her, his fingernails sharpened to claws. He smiles showing of the small fangs he now has. "Hello. I'm Gamma."  
  
Demona smiles back, her smile full of malice as well as genuine warmpth, her teeth fangs as pointy as his. She spies the claws and jumps, snarling, climbing to all fours. Gamma blinks at this odd behavior and looks down at his hand. "Oh, sorry about that. I'm still not use to looking like this."  
  
Demona blinks. "Is there a reason why I should want to rip you to shreads and eat your still-beating heart?" she is still polite, no malice in her question at all.  
  
Gamma thinks. "I don't think so. I forgot about having claws and since we just met I don't think I did anything bad to you before."  
  
Demona nods, sittig down dog-style. "hmmm. Do you know WHAT I am?"  
  
Gamma goes closer to her, using his senses to see what she is. Demona is half-alien half human, the alien half being basiclly a mindless killing machine, the human half diminished by disuse.  
  
Gamma blinks. "Well, I know your part human. The other I'm not sure about. It's like one part of me, but diffrent."  
  
Demona nods. "right then." She stands on two legs, her impressive wings spreading. "Got any raw meat? I'm hungry."  
  
Gamma shrugs. "No, but I guess we can look for some."  
  
Demona shrugs. "These things work?" she spreads her wings, and flaps a little. "cool!" She lands, then has a random thought. "I wonder..." she turns into a human, sans wings and all. "cool!" she turns into a wolf then.. a rather recognizable wolf, too... a large black wolf...  
  
Gamma jumps back, looking like he's about to attack. "YOU!"  
  
Demona jumps back. me?  
  
A large, shaggy black dog yawns, raising it's head sleepily.  
  
"You were the one that attacked that little blue thing!" Gamma shouts.  
  
Ronin leaps through a portal, landing in a kneeling position. His head flicks up, ears alert. His tracking had lead him to this location, trying to find Korunue. He stuies ih surroundings for a moment before taking off into the wood in a zig-zag seraching pattern.  
  
Demona looks startled. I did? uh-oh... she turns and scampers off into the underbrush.The dog stands, sleepily, looking about. she spies Gamma and trots over, grabbing a stick on the way and dropping it at his feet.  
  
Gamma blinks as she leaves and looks down at Kor. "Korunue, this is not helping me figure out how to get you back to normal." Korunue woofs, tail wagging, indicating the stick. Gamma sighs. "All right fine." He picks up the stick and throws it.  
  
Ronin bursts into whatever area that Gamma and Kor are in, panting a little. He stares at the both of them. A soft silver mist seeps up from the ground, forming into the silver body of Ali. The sad silver eyes stare forward as she comes into focus. "Hello, Gamma.." her voice sounds tired.  
  
Korunue chases after the stick, leaping and catching it. Then she drops it, running to Ronin and sniffing him, leaping up to put her front paws on his chest, trying to lick his face. Gamma looks over at Ali. "Hello Ali. I'm surprised you recognized me."  
  
Ronin pushes the dog down. "Go away." He looks over at Gamma and the now formed Ali. "Either of you seen a girl, with dog ears?" Korunue whimpers, ears drooping. She trots some distence away to sulk, hanging her head.  
  
"It's the energy signature." Ali explains.  
  
Gamma looks at Ronin, his tail twitching when he hears the discription. "You mean Korunue?" Ali turns her head toward Ronin, listening quietly.  
  
Ronin nods "Yes, thats her name. You know her? You know where I can find her?" Korunue curls up in a ball, whining softly, feeling unwanted by her former "master" to her doggy mind.  
  
"Yes, we know her. I do not know where she is." Ali says, tiredly.  
  
Gamma looks over to Korunue and sighs. "Well I think you just passed her getting over here."  
  
Ronin perks his ears up and stares at Gamma. "I did? Well wehre is she. Tell me." Korunue whimpers, not even looking up at her name... well, that is, if she recognized it as such....Ali_Cia hears the whimper of the canine and walks over quietly.  
  
Gamma kimda points sheepishly towards Kor. "Thats her."  
  
Ronin looks over at the dog. "No its not. Now, if you know her, where is she?" Ali_Cia can't see the pointing, since she only knows where people are generally, being blind. She cocks her head and chirrs something. Korunue falls asleep again.  
  
"I'm telling you thats her. We met some small blue lady and she did something to us. Now I look like this and she looks like that." Gamma explains patiently.  
  
"Look like what?" asks Ali  
  
"The large dog over there."  
  
Ronin glares at Gamma. "Don't lie to me." He draws his swords and points one at Gamma. "I do not like being lied to."  
  
"You look like a dog?" asks Ali, puzzled.  
  
Gamma backs up, holdong his hands in front of him. His wings ruffle in surprise. "I'm not. Why would I lie to you?" Gamma then looks over to Ali. "No, Korunue does."  
  
Ronin shrugs slightly, advancing on Gamma. "I don't know, but people tend to lie to me and try to screw me over when it comes to Kor. I have no reason to believe you. Now tell me the truth!"  
  
Ali_Cia cocks her head, hearing the wings ruffle. She steps forward. "Stop!" she barks, stepping in between the two.  
  
Korunue raises her head again, purple eyes staring sadly at Ronin. She whimpers. Gamma backs up as he advances. "I am. Do you think I usually look like this?" Ronin stops as Ali steps in front of him.  
  
Korunue whines some more, eyes on Gamma and Ronin- her "old master" and her "new master" in her mind. Ali_Cia glares in Ronin's direction, then to Gamma, then to Ronin again. "I will have no fighting such as this in my presence. I can recognize energy signatures, including Korunue's, so I can tell you if that is her."  
  
Ronin glares at Ali now. "Any particular reason why I should believe you more than him?" Korunue trots over, shaking herself a little, whimpering. She sits at Ronin's feet, looking up at him with her large purple eyes, then lays down.  
  
Ali_Cia attempts to connect her mind with Ronin's, allowing him to know what she knows, hear her thoughts, everything. If succeeding, he will hear the thought "do not remember anything of mine or you will be perminantly scarred." Ronin blinks and slowly lowers his sword.  
  
Gamma blinks, wondering what Ali is doing. Korunue yawns, tail wagging happily. Ali_Cia turns toward the canine, bringing up a memory of seeing Kor for the first time using the new energy signature method. She then compares the two signatures. Ronin waits silently. Korunue looks about, her tail wagging as Ronin doesn't chase her off. She sits up, licking his hand and whining a little, begging to be petted. Ali_Cia confirms that it is Kor. She nods, pointing out the distinct simmilarities. "She has been polymorphed, I assume."  
  
Gamma nods. "I think so. I don't know how to fix it."  
  
Ronin looks down at the dog and frowns. "But....but...why?" Korunue looks into his eyes, whining. Did the master not like her anymore? She sensed disapproval. had she done something wrong? She needed Master to like her! She whimpers more, nuzzling his hand.  
  
"I don't know. The blue thing said something about giving us our true nature." Gamma says, with a slight sigh.  
  
Ali_Cia breaks the connection, ruffling her wings. "Hers seems to be less dissimmilar to the previous than yours, Gamma. I can hardly tell the differences." Ronin suddenly gropes his swords tightly, white knuckled. He raises them above his head and roars in frustration, hurling the swords into the nearest tree.Korunue yelps, leaping up and backing away, whining harder than ever. She lowers her head. Master was mad at her!  
  
Gamma backs away from where the sword went. He decides to se if Kor was ok and goes over to where she went. Ali_Cia doesn't even flinch, having seen such things before. "Hush, now. I have been through things like this. Be glad that she is even alive and there is a chance of restoring her." There is a hint of ache in the back of her voice. She turns away and heads toward Kor.  
  
Ronin grabs the swords and jerks them out of the tree. He sheaths them and looks at Korunue again. He roars again and starts beating on the tree. His punches get slower and slower, eventually he turns around and slumps against the tree. He slides to the ground and draws his knees to him, weeping silently. Korunue whines, dropping to her belly. She sneaks towards him, slowly.. then she nuzzles him, whimpering. She made Master sad! Master didn't like her anymore! Gamma looks over to Ronin, having some idea of what he is feeling. He walks over to Ronin, seeing if he could help him.  
  
Ali_Cia pauses, unable to turn a cold heart toward crying. She turns and walks over, seating herself beside him. "I can understand how hard it is. But you must have control over yourself to get her back. I will help in any way I can."   
  
Gamma nods. "Me too."  
  
Ronin ignores Gamma and ALi, he wraps his arms around Korunue's neck and pulls her close, looking at her eyes...those same eyes. Korunue looks a little happier. Master did like her? She pants, in a doggy smile, and licks his face happily. Ali_Cia sits in silence, supressing.. jealousy.. toward Kor. Her heart ached, remembering the vow of so long ago. "It still hurts," she thought grimly to herself.Ronin sighs and pulls Korunue closer.  
  
Gamma looks over to Ali. "Are you ok?" Korunue licks Ronin's face enthusiasticlly, a far cry from the Kor of a day or two ago...  
  
"Nothing," Ali spits out the word distastefully, chopping it short, hard edges. Ronin lets go of Kor and pulls his knees to him as Ali continues. "I'm.. alright.. Gamma."  
  
Gamma gives her a disbelieving look. "Ok. IF you need to say anything, I'm here though."  
  
"You wouldn't understand," she mutters bitterly.  
  
Korunue licks him again, but then wants to give him a special presant... she finds the stick and drops it on his knees, looking pleased. Ronin looks at the stick blankly. Korunue whines, sniffing around for something else. She comes across her old backpack, searching in it for something meaningful. A dagger? She panted, taking it to him, wagging her tail, then fetches a few arrows and another stick for him.  
  
Ali_Cia shakes her head. "Ronin, be glad with what you have. Believe me. She can be restored."  
  
Gamma nods. "I'm sure theres a way, I just don't know how to do it."  
  
Ronin takes the dager and holds it at his wrist experimentally, then he moves it to his throat. "Why? I have nothing now..nothing. Not a damn thing."  
  
"You have a chance." murmers Gamma.  
  
Korunue whimpers, looking at him sadly. He didn't like her gifts? She didn't know what he was doing, but he wasn't happy... she whined harder and snuggled against him. Ronin shakes his head at Gamma "I don't have a chance. If there had been a chance, she wouldnt be a dog."  
  
"If there wasn't a chance, she wouldn't be able to be changed back and there is a way."  
  
Ali_Cia attempts to put a light shield around the daggar so he can't kill himself. "Relax. I give you my word. I will not stop until she is restored." And that is a promise. Korunue whimpers, snuggling up against him harder, looking into his eyes with her own, full of trust.  
  
Ronin frowns at Gamma. "How do you know? Do you ahve any ideas? Any knowledge of there even being a solution. Because I don't see one."  
  
"I used to have a spell that could change one's form into anything living. Since I see far beyond visual, perhaps I could change her body, at least, back to normal. The mind may or may not follow." Ali mentions.  
  
Korunue whimpers. A suddan flash of memory... this was familier to her! But... it was bad! She whines harder, licking at Ronin's cheek to cheer him up. Ronin glares at Ali. "Whats the point to chaging her body....could you imagine. Her licking me, following me around on all fours."  
  
"It is a chance we must take, sir. And being eleven thousand, six hundred, ninety-two years old, I should know what I'm doing." Ali chuckles a little  
  
Korunue licks harder. He wasn't happy? She was making him sad! She was sad that master was sad... she whimpers, curling up in a ball next to him. Ronin sighs and drops the dagger. Ali_Cia gently places a hand on his shoulder. "Shall I try now?"  
  
Ronin shrugs. "Do what you want."  
  
"I will not do it without your desire to have her back."  
  
Ronin looks up at Ali. "Of course i want her back"  
  
Gamma looks over to Ali. "What should I do?"  
  
Korunue spies the dagger, lifting it in her teeth and whimpering. She looks down her nose at it, trying to remember why it was so important to her... Gamma! she looks to him for an explination, her eyes questioning. Ali_Cia nods again. "Gamma, I will give you the formula. I do not have the correct magical energies for the spell." Ronin sits silently  
  
Gamma nods and then looks down at Kor. "What is it?" He looks closely at the dagger. "You know, you shouldn't probubly have that." He holds out his hand. Korunue tilts her head to the side, wondering why, holding onto the dagger tightly. Gamma sighs. "I'm going to try to help you Korunue, but your going to have to give me that first." Korunue blinks, still confused. "Korunue, that dagger was something that you shouldn't have had. I'm going to hold it for you ok?" He holds out his hand again. Korunue blinks, then gives him the dagger. At least she could make someone happy. Besides, if it was bad, better Gamma have it then her. Gamma smiles and scratches her. "Thank you." HE standa up and looks to Ali. "What do we have to do?"  
  
"It is much too complex to explain verbally. May I mind link?"  
  
Gamma nods. "Go ahead."  
  
Ali_Cia closes her eyes and attempts to link. Gamma closes his eyes as well, waiting for her to start. Ali_Cia allows the information for the spell to flow into Gamma. It is very complex but within his reach. In the background, though, she is fighting to keep back a memory, keep it away from him.Gamma thinks that its odd that there is something connected to this that Ali doesn't want him to see, but thinks that Kor is more important right now so dosn't press the issue. Korunue sits quietly, wondering what's up.Ali_Cia breaks the connection as soon as he has enough information. There is a faint twitch under the corner of one lip.  
  
Gamma looks at Ali. He decides to ask her later and turns to Kor. "Ok, now lets get Korunue back." He closes his eyes and concentrates, his wings streaching out as he does. Ali_Cia turns, not wanting to see what happens anyway. Her pain is too great to endure and she is sure she will hurt their feelings soon. Gamma starts to weave the diffrent kinds of magic for what he needs to do, the mark on his forhead glowing slightly as he does this. Ali_Cia spreads her wings and flies into a tree, curling up to sleep. Korunue pants, tilting her head, curious.  
  
Gamma sends a glowing ball of energy at he, and she stiffens, giving a yelp before blacking out. 


	8. Of suicide and sickness

Bikon and Beta chapter 8  
  
~thoughts~  
  
Also, in the part where she's sick? That's SUPPOSED to be confusing, since it's her POV and she's half-delerious. Hence the lack of names for most of the words.  
  
Korunue wakes, finding herself lying on the ground where she had fainted. She stirs, a little, and opens her eyes. She examines her limbs, her body, finding it to be mostly himan, with dog ears on top of her head. She sniffs, trying to find out what's going on.  
  
Gamma stirrs a little as well, his jet black wings and black tail moving a little as he sleeps against a tree near Kor.  
  
Korunue yawns, waking. She frowns. "What.." then jumps. "I can talk!"  
  
Gamma is startles awake by that his wings streaching out as he jerks up. "Wh..what? Whats going on?"  
  
"I can talk!"  
  
Gamma looks over to see Korunue. He still seems a little sleepy. "I can talk too. I'm happy for you."  
  
Korunue blinks. "I couldn't talk before. How come I can talk now?  
  
Gamma blinks. "What do you remember?"  
  
Korunue frowns. "Master wasn't happy. I tried to make him happy and it didn't help. Then I woke up and I could talk!"  
  
Gamma looks at her and sighs. "You don't remember anythign before that, not even who I am?"  
  
Korunue frowns. "I know who you are... you're New Master."  
  
Gamma sighs. "Great, it didn't work. All you remember is what happened after that blue fairy zapped us."  
  
Korunue frowns. "fairy? Oh! The blue thingie! And before that I... " she puzzles. "I was unhappy and you were kind to me. And before that.... something about dragons and firey birds and... " She blinks, shaking her head. "see! I do remember!"  
  
Gamma blinks, his wings moving a little. "Ok, so you remember, but you just think of it a diffrent way. At least its a step in the right directon."  
  
Korunue nods. "Wait.. which direction is the right one? That way? That way?" She points in random directions.  
  
Gamma sighs and facepalms. "This is going to take a lot of work."  
  
Korunue looks excited. "I can help! I can pull things... ooh! I can catch a stick!"  
  
Gamma continues to faepalm. "Not that kind of work Korunue."  
  
Korunue tilts her head, confused. "What kind of work, then? I wanna help!"  
  
"Well, before you were a lot diffrent. For one you would realize that I meant that you may not be like you were but at elast its not worse."  
  
Korunue blinks. "um... ok. So, how was I different? Tell me!"  
  
"Well you wern't as energetic as this."  
  
Korunue blinks. "oh. Should I be less energetic, then?"  
  
"No thats ok. For now just act naturally."  
  
Korunue smiles. "Ok! But what else was different?"  
  
"Well, you know my name and some of what I am."  
  
Korunue nods. She closes her eyes and thinks. "G.. Gamma!" She opens them. "And you do that thingie, with the sparkly stuff, and boom!"  
  
"OK, you know a little bit about me then. But you also were very sad."  
  
Korunue frowns. "sad?"  
  
Gamma nods. "I was trying to get you cheered up, but it didn't seem like it was working. Of course I also looked a little different."  
  
"Why would I be sad?"  
  
"I think because you thought that you made people sad."  
  
"Why would I think that?" She pauses, remembers.... "Master doesn't like me anymore, does he?"  
  
Gamma shakes his head. "No, he likes you a lot. He was just surprised at what happened to you."  
  
Korunue looks down. "What was he doing with the shiny stick?" meaning the dagger  
  
"He...was going to hurt himself."  
  
Korunue looks up. "Why?"  
  
"I think because he didn't think we could help you."  
  
Korunue blinks. "oh. ok. So... tell me more about me so I can make it all better and he won't hurt himself."  
  
"Well I didn't know you that well, but I do know that you didn't like to hurt living things."  
  
Korunue nods. "That's good. Anything else important?"  
  
"Well I don't really know a lot about you before I came here, so that might be it. Ali would be able to tell you more."  
  
Korunue nods. "What was I doing right before the blue sparkl... I mean, the fairy, appeared?"  
  
"You were trying to attack this large back wolf that turned into a dragon."  
  
Korunue nods. "Um... ok.... How about before that?" Korunue is searching for something that will help her remember better.  
  
"Um, we were talking about how you were a lot of help to me and you wern't worthless." (A/N- remember, my logs are patchy, so chances are that conversation fell through the cracks.)  
  
Korunue blinks. "Worthless?"  
  
Gamma nods. "Yeah, It didn't make any sense to me either."  
  
Korunue frowns. "worthless... " that meant something important.. if only she could remember... if only... if only she could remember... she frowns deeper, then cries out as she is hit with a suddan flood of memory.  
  
Gamma gasps. "Whats wrong?"  
  
Korunue blinks. And blinks. She frowns, then looks away. "you shouldn't have told me. D'arvit, I was HAPPY."  
  
Gamma hugs her tight. "Oh, Korunue..."  
  
She whimpers, then tugs away, stumbling off into the forest, sobbing. Gamma sighs, letting her go, hurt.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Korunue wakes, stiff, a ways off in the woods, and stands slowly. Making her way back, she looks at Gamma, a lump rising in her throat, and then goes off in search of her pack. "I've failed you already." she whispers, rummaging in her pack.  
  
Gamma stirs a little, his wings ruffling a little and his tail moving back and forth. Korunue finds her dagger in her pack and takes it out, looking at it. Last chance... last chance to turn back.... another glance to Gamma. She was failing him... she would hurt him... but... she... he had Ylamat and Ali... he would be alright, eventually....Gamma stirs a little more, seeming to be slowly awakening. His wings and tail start to move a little more, apparently working kinks out of them. The bushes stir slightly, the leaves rattling together for an instant before falling silent.   
  
Gamma blinks sleepily and leans up. He stretches his arms and wings out for a moment and yawna. He looks around, not fully awake. "Korunue?"   
  
Ronin idly slumps through the forest. He seems to be in a daze. Not really paying any attention to what he is doing, his feet drag, his ears droop. His head is downcast and he barely misses walking into several trees. His hanyou senses keeping him in a semi-safe state.Something like a snake's rattle is heard nearby, then it silences.  
  
Korunue looks up, quickly hiding the dagger behind her back. "Gamma!"  
  
Gamma looks around, wondering where the noise and Kor are. He slowly stands up, his tail stretching out. "Is that you Korunue?"  
  
Ronin picks a small tree and sits down at the base of it. He doesn't seem to hear anything, and if he does, he doesn't care. He sits silently, not moving.  
  
Korunue looks about for a place to hide the dagger. "over here." she ignores the rattle, and does not see Ronin, her back being to the woods.  
  
Gamma rubs his eyes with the back of his hand. "Was that you in the bushes? I think I *yawn* heard something in there, but I wasn't sure." Ronin sits quietly.  
  
Korunue shakes her head. "no... " she still has the dagger behind her back, standing, all senses on Gamma, her back to Ronin. Something rattles again... Korunue backs up slowly, hearing Something but not knowing what it is... she thinks maybe it's up ahead of her, not in the woods behind her...   
  
Gamma starts walking towards Kor, half asleep. "Oh, ok then. I was just curious."  
  
Something moves behind Korunue, rattling again, loudly. Korunue hears it and jumps, nervous. "wh..wh...what's that...." she fumbles with the knife behind her back. Ronin sits perfectly still. He still doesnt seem to hear anything.  
  
Gamma get closer and he sees Kor jump, his eyes open a little more. "Hey Korunue, what is that anyway?"  
  
Something falls silent once again. There is a pause, then the bushes to the north shake and quiver. Korunue whirls around, forgetting the knife for the moment, staring at the bushes. "gamma...."  
  
Something golden glints out from between the leaves of the bush. Gamma starts to become a litle more awake. "Yes Korunue?"  
  
Korunue 's back is to Gamma... including the knife, which she has forgotten about. "Um... what is that?..."  
  
Gamma dosn't notice the knife since he is still sorta asleep. "What is what?"  
  
Korunue swallows, the knife glinting in the sunlight. "th...th..th...that...." she points with her left hand at the bush, her right hand holding the knife. Something rattles in the bushes behind Kor and Gamma.  
  
Gamma turns to the bush behind him. "Hey, thats the same thing that woke me up."  
  
Korunue turns to the other bushes, walking over to Gamma. "Gamma.. I'm scared..." her right arm with the knife falls to her side.  
  
Gamma blinks his eyes, looking over to Kor. "You don't know what it is either?"  
  
Korunue shakes her head. "I was just.... er... doing stuff... and then I heard you wake up, and then I heard this thing rustle."  
  
Ronin draws his knees up to his chest and makes a few noises similar to whimpers. Gamma starts to look at the bushes, almost fully awake. "Do you have any idea what it is?"  
  
A stunning golden serpent darts out of the bush, no larger than a garter snake. Diamond bright eyes look at both of them with fright. It curls up, shivering.  
  
Korunue is more alert now, and hears whimpers... that sounds like... "ronin!" she gasps, the snake forgotten for the moment. She drops the knife and runs into the woods, following the sound.  
  
Ronin sits silently now, not moving. Gamma bands down hear the snake. "Hello? Who are you?" A tiny rattle on the tip of its tail shakes, and it looks about ready to bolt.  
  
Korunue stops short, tears streaming down her face, as he falls silent. "ronin..."she sobs, feeling her heart break. She had hurt him again... she had hurt him again... despite all her efforts... and she had hurt Gamma... she sinks to her knees, sobbing openly.Ronin doesnt seem to notice.  
  
Gamma continues to look at the snake, wondering why it looks so scared. He then hears Kor crying. "Can you stay right here? I want to see whats wrong with my friend."  
  
GoldenSnake bolts, dashing into the bushes again, disappearing. Moments later, it reappears behind Kor, silently slinking forward. Gamma turns and starts walking towards where Kor was crying. "I guess it didn't want to talk to me." He kneels down next to her. "What's wrong?"  
  
Korunue stands, feeling alone and knowing it to be her own fault. She stops crying, and walks, as if in a trance, back to where she dropped her knife. She ignores Gamma, lifting the knife and staring at it, placing the blade flat against her palm.   
  
GoldenSnake flits back into the bushes. Gamma turns to Kor, seeing her place the blade against her palm. "Korunue. I know you can hear me. Please put the knife down."  
  
GoldenSnake darts out beside Kor, hissing and striking at her ankle. Ronin whimpers loudly again. Korunue looks at Gamma, dispair in her eyes. She says nothing, not moving out of the way, her ears turning towards Ronin.   
  
Ronin slowly stands up, and resumes his plod through the forest, not paying any attention to his surroundings. Gamma runs forward and takes a hold of the blade of the knife. "I can't let you do this." GoldenSnake locks its jaws onto Kor's ankle since Gamma went for the knife. Ronin stumbles right past the 3, managing to step on the snake in the process. GoldenSnake winces, but doesn't let go of Kor.   
  
Korunue looks blankly at Gamma. "Gamma...." she says, her voice full of dispair. She looks at Ronin. "Ronin...." she looks at the snake. "'m sorry..."  
  
Ronin hears his name and stops. His head turns around and looks at the source, his eyes staring blankly at Korunue. At least it looks like Kor. But thats impossible, Kor is a dog, not ikkiyou. He turns around and keeps walking.  
  
GoldenSnake injects venom into Kor, then lets go and slithers away quickly. Gamma holds the blade harder, his sharpened nails digging into the metal of the blade. "Just let go of the blade." He looks to Ronin. "Can you help me here?!"  
  
Korunue looks at Ronin. He didn't... know her... he didn't... care... "Ronin..." she sobs. She looks at Gamma. "What's the point... the snake's as good as any knife... " She slumps to her knees, sobbing bitterly,her ankle out to the side, the puncture in full view, letting go of the knife.  
  
Ronin takes a few more steps, he stumbles a little, then falls to his knees, then flat out on the ground. There he lays silently. Eyes still staring blankly. He is alive, but doesn't appear to be paying attention, sort off of in a dream world. Gamma flings the knife away, large pits in it from where he gripped it. HE then loks at her ankle. "What do you mean?"  
  
Korunue looks to Ronin, her eyes going dead. She look at him, her eyes flat and dead, no signs of hope at all in them. She shuts them, looking down, sobbing her heart out. Ronin closes his eyes, his breathing shallow. Gamma holds his hand over the wouldn hopeing that he hasn't changed enough for this not to work. His hand starts to glow and he would then try to heal the damage to her ankle. Korunue swats his hand away, suddanly. "no." she says, sadly, looking to Ronin. "it's not worth it."  
  
Gamma moves his hand back over the wound, taking a better hold this time as he watches his hand. "I think it is worth it."  
  
Korunue beats on his arm franticlly. "no! no it's not! leave me be!" she sobs harder. "leave me be..."  
  
Gamma catches one of her arms with his other hand, his eyes glowing for a moment. "Yes, it is. I think that you have more to live for that a lot of other people I've met and I will prove it to you."  
  
Korunue sobs harder, her heart broken in two, or so it seemed. "leave me alone.... please... I have nothing... nothing...." she tries to pull away.  
  
Gamma keeps a hold of her leg, continuing to heal it. "You may think that, but its not true."  
  
Korunue collapses on the ground, sobbing. "nothing..."   
  
Gamma finishes healing the wound, but looks her over to see if there is any poison in her. Korunue 's memories are a bit fuzzy, due to the poison... she tries to crawl over to Ronin, sobbing. She was injected with poison, and it's spread through most of her. Gamma puts his hand on her again, trying to see if he can possible break down the poison or draw it out of her. Korunue fights wildly, trying to get away... she sobs madly, desprate to get to Ronin. The poison is very complex and difficult to break down. And it has already begun to affect her. Gamma tries to see if he can at least keep the poison from affecting her anymore, his eyes glowing again. "If you don't stop that, then you wonlt be in any shape to talk to him."  
  
Korunue sobs. She fights harder. "let me go!" her memories are fuzzier... if she tries, she can no longer remember her adoptive parents, or her old school friends...He stops the venom from affecting her muscles. Gamma starts to move with her as she goes over to Ronin. "I'll let go when I don't have to worry about you getting hurt."  
  
Korunue collapses next to Ronin, sobbing. "Ronin... ronin... I'm so sorry... I..." she shuts her eyes, whining softly from the pain.  
  
Ronin doesnt respond. He still doesnt even seem to know what is happening around him. Gamma reaches out to Ronin and places a hand on his sholder. "Do you think you can keep her still?"  
  
Korunue curls up into a ball, sobbing. "Ronin..." she lets herself slip into that dark hole inside herelf and stops crying, her breathing slow, looking similar to Ronin.  
  
Ronin doesnt show any signs of recognizing Gamma's touch. Gamma shakes him. "Hey, Can you wake up? I need your help!"  
  
Korunue lays very still... hopefully, she'll die of starvation... life wasn't worth it, not like this, not when she hurt everyone... Ronin looks up at Gamma, then lays his head back down, next to Kor's. Gamma sighs and tries breaking the poison down again, his eyes start to glow, but unless Kor and Ronin snap out if it they wouldn't notice. Korunue falls deeper, scarcely even breathing, her pulse slow and sluggish. A dagger would be faster, more merciful... but Gamma would never let her... Just a little of the poison is broken down.   
  
Gamma sees that Kor is hardly breathing and starts to talk to her ans he continues to try to break down the poison. "Korunue, I know you can hear me. You have to help me with this. I may be able to do this but you need to put up a fight. I know that you think that he dosn't care for you but he does." His eyes are glowing steadily now.  
  
Korunue 's breath becomes raggady, uneven, a signal of the immense pain and sadness she felt. She feels herself coming back.. and fights it, trying to get back to her calm place, where she felt nothing. Gamma continues to talk, but it sounds diffrent. Like its a little deeper and calmer. "You can't just try to hide wherever you think things arn't going for you. You have to fight and try to make things better. You can't just give up."Korunue is tired of fighting, tired of living for others.. she hurt them, she hurt everyone, she didn't want to live, why should she live? She used to keep going for Ronin... but she hurt him.. she tried for Gamma, because he needed her, but she hurt him... why bother?   
  
Gamma continues talking in that deeper voice, stil trying to break down the poison. "You have to keep going. You have more that what most have. You have someone that cares for you enough to come to another universe to find you. You have friends that would risk their lives to help you. You have someone that really looks up to you to help him. You can still help them, all you have to do is try." Korunue might have scoffed, if she'd been feeling better. He loved her so much, and look where it got him? Gamma said he needed her help.. she was like a succubus, impossible to not need, but deadly, like a siren, her pain calling to decent souls but the same pain destroying them. All of a sudden... all of the poison disappears... it's gone.  
  
"Please, you have to come back and fight this. If you don't...Ronin woudl die. I can't get him to respond to anything wihtout you here. I don't even know of he will even move." He seems a little surprised by the poison disappearing, but continues speaking. "You have to come back. He can't do this alone." Korunue is beyond caring... she can do nothing for him... she has destroyed the one man she loves above all others... she reduced him to a shell of his former self... he wanted death... she can't... she...  
  
Gamma starts to glare at Kor, his eyes burning bright yellow. "Korunue, GET UP! How can you lay there when you are needed. You keep saying that your useless, that you have no worth. That's so far off it's not even funny. Ronin is basically comatose bacause he thought you were gone for ever and Gamma is just sitting back, crying because he can't help. All there people around you that need you and you think that your USELESS?!"  
  
Korunue, frightened, receedes further inside herself. What was happening to her... she was remembering something.. but... what... what was it... what... how... as the memory played, she found it matching with her mood. Another failure.. another someone she let down... Ronin, Gamma... the names hurt her, hurt because she knew she couldn't help them, couldn't protect them from her own self...   
  
"Please help them. I can't do this. They won'e respond to me, but they will to you. You have to get out of wherever you are in that brain of yours and help them! Do you have any idea what is going through Gamma's moind right now? He thinks that he con't help you because he did something wrong, that he was the one that failed. He is sitting here, balling his eyes out because you think that he would be better off without you!"  
  
Korunue watches the end of the memory. No way that could be hers.. she was never that brave... Gamma... that hurt, that cut her deeply. The pain.. she should come out and tell him, it's not him, it's her... but he won't listen, won't accept that, won't let her be. Another memory grips her, and she gladly concentrates on that rather than the pain.  
  
"Korunue, I know you are in a lot of pain. Anything like this is hard but you need to come back and help them, I know you can hear me so you have to come back. I don't have any way to help either of them but you do. All you have to do is actually get up."  
  
Korunue can't take it anymore! The memories... the pain... if she just got up and got her dagger, it could all be over in a single slice. She forces herself out of it... one last goodbye... she sobs. "Ronin... ronin, please... " it was useless, she knew, but... "please... one last kiss.. before I die..." she whispers to him. Ronin doesnt respond, of course.  
  
Gamma looks to Kor, still speaking in a deeper voice. "You have to try and bring him back. I can't get to him since he would care nothing for Gamma like you do. You have to try and wake him up."  
  
Korunue looks at him in dispair. "I can't... Ronin..." she collapses sobbing onto him, sobbing for a few moments, making his shirt wet... then she spies the glinting, tempting knife a few feet away and crawls towards it. Ronin stirs a little, he rises his head up and looks at Korunue, groaning a little.  
  
Gamma sees the knife and swipes his hand at it. The ground around it looks like some thing clawed at it and the knife goes flying farther away. "That is something that Gamma should have gotten rid of when he had the chance." Korunue cries out, as if in pain, seeing her last hope go flying off. She stares after it, whimpering softly. "That is not anything that would help anyone. It would just cause more pain and suffering." Gamma continues.  
  
Ronin groans again, trying to get Kor's attention this time. Korunue cries, looking at it. She hears Ronin, but... he was probably just telling her to do it, to kill herself, because he was beyond hope... she saw that, she saw the hopelessness he seeemed to have... she closed her eyes in defeat, watching as another impossible memory came to her. Ronin raises his head more. "Kor, is that you?"  
  
Gamma continues to talk, his voice still deeper than it usually is. "See, you are already helping him. You just have to keep talking and try to help them. That is all they ask, is that you try."  
  
Korunue hears the words spoken in the memory... but... she was not helping... she could not help... she didn't know what to do... she hears the words spoken to her in the current, but... "yes." her voice is flat, dead, as she answers Ronin, with no hint of hope left. All her hope had fled when she looked at Ronin.   
  
Ronin nods nd whimpers softly as he lays his head back down. "Kor...come here, please?"  
  
Gamma glares at her, but stays silent, his eyes still glowing yellow. Korunue crawls over to him, looking down, not able to bear looking him in the eyes, not when he's like this. not when she's like this. "of course." she whispers, softly, sadly.   
  
Ronin looks at Korunue and doesnt say anything. Korunue looks away. "do you.. hate me? For what I've done to you?" her voice still holds no hope in it... as if she thinks she knows what the answer is, but wants to hear it anyhow.   
  
Ronin shakes his head and says, "no."  
  
Korunue swallows, still looking away. "I won't ask you to forgive me." She doesn't think that it's possible, not when she'd destroyed him so utterly.  
  
Ronin sighs and reaches out to put a hand on Korunue's shoulder. Korunue sighs, her sigh full of dispair. "He won't leave me be. He keeps pestering me. He has all sorts of mistaken ideals he thinks I can live up to." meaning Gamma, or whatever Gamma was now, or more likely both. Ronin nods a little and squeezes Kor's shoulder.   
  
Korunue still does not look at him. "I wish he'd leave me alone... I could try and make things right... or at least stop myself from hurting anyone else...."  
  
Ronin nods again and pulls Korunue close to him. "I know. Just stay here right now"  
  
Weeping silently, she slowly falls asleep, cuddled close to him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N- If you hate sad stories, go away now. Please. For your own sanity.   
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Korunue awakes, the next morning. Something's wrong... very wrong. She looks over at Ronin. Her eyes refuse to add up the images she was seeing. There is his sleeping face, there a dagger, there his chest, there the blood... no, they can't add up. It just doesn't make sense. He can't be..... dead.   
  
Her lip trembles, as she runs her hands over his cold body. He's been dead hours... she presses her lips to his, passionatly kissing him, her tears dripping into his glassy eyes, as though she can breathe life into him just by loving him, just by caring...  
  
She reaches for the dagger to pull it from his chest, and a deep voice nearby said, softly, "No, Korunue."  
  
She looks up through her tears as Gamma stood there, eyes glowing softly. She whimpers, clutching the dagger tightly. "Let me die..." whispered, her eyes holding no hope, nothing.   
  
"I can't do that, Kor." She whimpers, fumbling with the dagger as it is yanked from her hands and he pulls her into a hug. The dam breaks and she sobs and sobs, on his shoulder, pouring out her grief and pain. He rubs her back some, but she still feels empty inside afterwards, hollow, nothing but pain in her heart.   
  
A mental scream in her mind. She stiffens, searching for the source. Ali's voice, pulling her out of her depression... ~He's got me!~  
  
~Who?~ she asks, suddanly worried. She can feel the insanity closing in on Ali's mind, feel her pain and anguish as keenly as she feels her own. She refuses to lose them both, determined to save at least one friend of hers.  
  
~Astral Dragon...~ Mental laughter as Ali's mind seals behind a wall of insanity.   
  
~NO! You let her go!~  
  
The voice is cold, malicious, evil. ~Why? I've finally got her! I've been waiting for this revenge for decades.~  
  
In that moment, she makes up her mind. Casting a glance at Ronin's body, she steels herself. ~Take me instead. Anything you would do to her, anything you blame her for, pin it on me instead. Kill me, just let her go!~  
  
~You'd give your life for hers?~  
  
~Yes!~  
  
A pause, full of evil in her soul. ~Alright. I accept your deal.~ Korunue pulls away from Gamma, and he looks at her, worry in his eyes. Then she... vanishes. The last thing she sees is panic in his glowing eyes, blind terror.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Korunue has found herself in a voided space, but there is a footholding. Two red eyes wink into existance nearby, seeming to grin. "Welcome, Korunue."  
  
"What... what do you want with me?" she whimpers.  
  
"For one thing, you are technically dead. You know the bargain we made, and I will inflict my revenge on you rather than Ali Cia."  
  
"Ali... she is alright? You havn't gone back on our deal?"  
  
"Not at all. She is still perfectly safe within her own walls of insanity." He laughs. "And I happen to have her right here." A glowing fiery ball appears nearby, out of Korunue's reach. Ali can be heard crying inside, aching. She can hardly think now, but is perfectly aware. "As a matter of fact, you are perfectly safe as well."  
  
"Ali! You lied! Let her go! Punish me, make it worse for me, but let Ali go... you promised..." she becomes suddanly, rather than a martyr, a sobbing little girl.  
  
"I never lie. I never said I would release her. I only said I wouldn't kill her."  
  
"You said me for her! You take me, and let her go! That was the deal! She's not free yet!"  
  
Astral_Dragon laughs. "Poor, simple fool." The marble-sized sphere flies up to become a distant twinkling, ever looking down at Korunue. "You should have known not to trust me. Ah well, I suppose you shall pay the price."  
  
Korunue gathers her wits about her. "And besides. She'll suffer more if you allow her to be unsafe... if you return her to her body to await your worse wrath later... Do what you want with me. I'll scream, cry, beg, whatever you want, if you let her go. I won't if you keep her. I'll curl up and not move until you kill me, and that won't be any fun at all."  
  
"I told you, you are already dead."  
  
"But I am aware. I can just curl up for all eternity, or I can beg, scream, carry on as you torment me."  
  
"Ali is safe, be sure of that. Nothing will harm her precious body. Nor will anything harm yours. If either of you dies, I would no longer be able to.. ~play~ with you. Neither of you will die."  
  
"Let her go! You have what you want... let her cling to her precious life a while longer."  
  
"No." Temperature around Korunue suddenly rises to an unbelievable degree, one that no one living would ever survive.  
  
Korunue bites her lip and looks at the eyes. "so be it." She reaches for her calm place, curling up in a ball on the floor, blotting out all pain, all physical pain and mental pain and emotional pain, while crying out with her mind "ali! flee!"  
  
Somehow, in the Astral realm, the calm place, too, is invaded. All places in the mind have been merged into one, and they are all open to him. Korunue opens her eyes wide. She whimpers, curling up tightly. No thoughts... no feelings..... she would make a new calm place, if she didn't move... The temperature then suddenly drops, way below freezing temperatures, where even the north pole would seem warm.Korunue shivers, curling up tighter, praying for a complete and total death.  
  
The temperature slowly returns back to normal. "Did you enjoy that?" he asks slyly.   
  
"yes."   
  
"Good." The sensation of a barbed iron spike driving through Korunue's heart hits her. It even stings as if it were rusty.  
  
Korunue resists the urge to scream, cry out... she takes a deep, painful breath, and then another. The spikes of the blade suddenly jut outward, spearing through flesh and snapping ribs. Korunue opens her mouth in a silent scream, intaking sharply, but lets not a sound out, clamping her mouth shut, closing her eyes, forgetting even to exhale. Pain... Rusty threads snake out from the body of the spike, penitrating through every bit of flesh, blood vessiles, driving into bone and muscle, sewing in and out of her skin. Korunue passes out, or tries to anyhow. He allows it this time, letting her mind blank out as the pain vanishes. He chuckles. "Sleep tight."  
  
Korunue passes out, into a dreamless sleep thankfully, her last concious thought: "i should have killed myself when I had the chance." Even though she retreats into her own mind, she still must stay aware.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ali_Cia sticks her tongue out at Gamma.  
  
Gamma sticks his tounge back at her.  
  
Ali_Cia can't see it.  
  
Gamma growls in frustration. "Ok. Ali, what is an Astral Dragon?"  
  
"Nasty black dragon! He kill me!"  
  
Gamma nods. "Was he evil?"  
  
Ali_Cia nods.  
  
"ok then." He tries to sense for any dragons that have a dark feel to them. There aren't any in Bikon. "I can't find her." He looks over to Ali, seeing if there is anything he can do to help her.  
  
Ali_Cia is nibbling on her foot... she's still perfectly insane.  
  
Gamma sighs. "What am I going to do? I don;t know where Korunue was taken, hove no way of finding her. It's like she completly disappeared."  
  
"She on other ground."  
  
Gamma looks at Ali. "What?"  
  
"Other ground, other plane. Big, black, flat place."  
  
"You mean like a diffrent dimension?"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"Well how do we get her back then?"  
  
"Fly to nothingness!" She dances and grins.  
  
"Do you know where it is?"  
  
Ali_Cia bobs her head up and down.  
  
"Could you give directions if we could fly there?"  
  
"You teweport to big black emptiness in sky. Then fly to heart of star."  
  
"Um..Ali. I can't do that. I'm not like you."  
  
"Den I'll do it."  
  
"Well how am I suppose to follow you?"  
  
Ali_Cia leaps forward, landing on his shoulder.  
  
Gamma looks at Ali. "Well that could work I guess."  
  
Ali_Cia spreads her wings, beginning to charge up, but it's unlikely that she'll ever get the spell exactly right.  
  
"Um...Ali. I think I may actually need air in this form so you might want to think obaut that."  
  
"Air? Where air?"  
  
Gamma blinks and creates a bubble around them so they can breath wear their going.  
  
Ali_Cia releases the spell, everything around them disappearing. Everything is dark, except for a single speck of golden light in the distance.  
  
Gamma blinks. "Where are we?"  
  
Ali_Cia has... disappeared?  
  
Gamma blinks and looks down to see if that pendant is still there and then looks around them. "And Ali disappeared. Now I have to find both of them." He tries to see if he can sense them.  
  
Korunue curles into a tighter ball, blotting out all sensation, all pain, all anguish....Ali can be felt.. toward that tiny golden speck of light.  
  
Gamma looks towards the speck of light. "I think I go that way." He starts walking in that direction.  
  
The speck is above them. It's impossible to walk to it. Gamma looks up. "Well thats a little more difficult." He decides to see if Kor is in the same place. She's nearby, on the ground. Gamma looks around and calls out. "Korunue?" Korunue does not answer.Korunue does not move. Is she unconcious? Gamma walks over to where he thinks Kor is. "Korunue? Are you there?"  
  
Korunue groans, softly. Two glowing red eyes look out of the darkness. "Well, well. Visitors."  
  
Korunue blinks, looking up. She gasps. "no! get out of here... take Ali and run! she's more important... get Ali out of here.." she babbles.  
  
Gamma looks at the eyes, having a pretty good idea what they belong to. He wings flare out and his tail lashes as he stands in between it and Kor. "Where's Ali?"  
  
"None of you are leaving." Astral Dragon chuckles again, grinning. The eyes glance up at the ball of golden light in the sky.  
  
"No! It's me you want, let them go.. you don't need them for your vengance..." Kor babbles, frantic.  
  
Astral Dragon snarls, white flashing teeth and claws appearing, slashing at the spark of light. An immense black tail appears out of nowhere, swinging in such a way that it would swat Korunue away like a fly. Gamma holds his hands out and a sheild would appear around him and Korunue. "I said you wont hurt them!" The flames on his hands start to grow.  
  
Korunue cries out. "Gamma! no! get yourself out of here! I am here by my choice. It is my choice to be here! I choose for you and Ali to live, to flee!"  
  
There is a flash of light, and everyone returns to Bikon. Ali is seen on the ground.. unconscious. Gamma blinks and the sheild goes down, the flames still around his hands. "Ok, are we back or not?"  
  
Korunue crawls over to Ali, her muscles protesting, and shakes her. "Ali! Ali, wake up... please..." she sobs.  
  
Gamma goes over to Ali, the flames winking out. "Ali? Can you hear me?"  
  
Korunue collapses, sobbing. "she didn't... she shouldn't have brought me... his wrath will be terrible..."  
  
Gamma looks over to Kor. "He won't hurt you." He says this like its a matter of fact. But Korunue has passed out from the pain.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Korunue wakes, groaning a little. She felt horrible... she shivers, despite herself. So cold... so cold... and her stomach felt horrible too. She keeps her eyes shut for the moment. Voices, hard to focus on, fragmented...  
  
Gamma rubs his eyes. "Um, is Omega the one with the flames and stuff?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well he seemed really mad at you. He was yelling and stuff. I think Beta got him to be quiet somehow though."  
  
"Well, I can't blame him." Wings, wrapped around her.  
  
Korunue feels hot to the touch, though she shivers, her teeth chattering. She opens her eyes.. and immediatly shuts them again. "make the world stop spinning, one of you." she groans.  
  
Gamma blinks. "But it's not moving at all."  
  
"She's sick. She feels cold and.. has a fever.. Her stomach is churning..."  
  
~Korunue. You must be sick. You're hot.~ Ali mentally called to her.  
  
~ugh... i feel aweful...~ she groaned in reply.   
  
~I do too..~  
  
"Oh. You want me to try and make her feel better?"   
  
~Do you need Gamma to heal you?~  
  
Korunue slowly opens her eyes again, a crack. "How come there's three of you now, ali?"  
  
~You're seeing things.~  
  
"Shh.. Fix her... please." Ali backs off.  
  
Kor: ~I... i dunno... just make things stop moving... ~  
  
Ali: ~Gamma can. Can Gamma help you?~  
  
Kor: ~sure...~  
  
Korunue whimpers, seeing Gamma. "Ronin..." obviously, she DIDN'T see Gamma...  
  
Ali: ~No, it's Gamma.. It's Gamma, not Ronin.~  
  
Kor: ~Ronin.... ~  
  
Ali_Cia suddenly sobs, covering her face.  
  
Gamma walks over to Korunue. "I think she is seeign things." He holds her hands over her and small sparks start to drift down on her, trying to heal her. Korunue rolls on her side and vomits, violently. Gamma closes his eyes, trying to see if he can stop what is making her sick.  
  
Ali:~Korunue!~  
  
Ali_Cia cries out, as if in pain. "Korunue!"  
  
Kor: ~Ali?  
  
Ali: ~I'm here, Korunue. I'm not going to leave you!~  
  
Kor: ~Ali...~ Korunue is having trouble focusing, her mind slow, dull-witted, easily fooled by the fever-dreams.  
  
Korunue has a virus, from being outside so much, and her immune system isn't up to snuff because of all the stress she's been under lately, leaving her practiclly unable to fight it. "Ali... Ronin... Ronin, why?" Gamma flinches, but keeps his eyes closed, trying to stop the virus.  
  
Ali Cia shivers violently, holding her head. "Korunue, fight it! Please!"   
  
The virus has already spread throughout most of her system, being in her bloodstream, and reproduced. Luckily, it will run it's course in time... if Kor can keep from being dehydrated by the fevor. "Ronin... I dreamed you went away... why? why did you leave?"  
  
Ali_Cia stumbles forward, collapsing beside Korunue, pressing close.  
  
Gamma opens his eyes and looks at Kor. wondering what he should say.  
  
"Ronin... Ronin, please, don't hate me, I can't stand it if you hate me tooo..." tears slide down her cheeks.  
  
Ali: ~Ronin loves you, but he had to go away. He wants you to be happy down here, but he doesn't want you to follow.~  
  
Gamma kneels down close to her. "I don't hate you. I never did."  
  
"Why? why did you leave me? don't you love me anymore?"  
  
Ali: ~They needed him. He didn't want to hurt you, but he had to go.~  
  
"I do love you. I always will and leaving was a mistake."  
  
"Ronin... what do you want me to do? Should I come with you?"  
  
Gamma shakes his head. "No. I want you to keep living. When it is your time you will join me, but untill that time I want you to be strong and live your life."  
  
"but I... I can't, I... I miss you so much... I'm not strong enough... all I can do here is hurt..."  
  
Gamma shakes his head. "No, thats not true. Your a lot stronger than you think and you have done a lot of good. Ask Gamma about it later and you'll see. I miss you too, but you have to keep going without me. We will be together again, but you have to keep living untill that day comes."  
  
"Ronin... I love you... watch out for Kiky... don't let Kiky get you, please... tell me if she comes after you and I'll come help you in an instant..."  
  
"Don't worry. I can watch out for her. You just try and be happy." He smiles at her.  
  
"happy.. how can I be happy without you?"  
  
"Look around you. You have these nice people that care for you. Don't be sad over me, well be together again one day, just try and be happy about that ok?"  
  
Korunue nods. "I... I'll try... but... what if I turn out like my father?"  
  
Ali_Cia presses her nose against Korunue.  
  
"You don't have to worry about that. Just try and be yourself and everything will turn out ok."  
  
"But I might... I might fall in love with someone else if I let you go!" Ali Cia whines.  
  
Gamma shakes his head. "It's ok. All I want is for you to be happy. It would be a shame for you to isolate yourself just because you miss me."  
  
Korunue whimpers. "It hurts... it hurts so much.. why didn't you at least say goodbye to me? why did you just leave?"  
  
Gamma sighs. "I'm sorry for doing that to you. It was a mistake that I can't make up for but I do want you to know that I will always love you."  
  
Korunue sniffles, whimpering. "oh Ronin.... Ronin! don't go, Ronin...." she closes her eyes.  
  
"Goodbye Korunue. Remember, I will always love you"  
  
"ronin..." she whimpers, falling asleep. her body temperature begins to drop, a little at a time.  
  
Gamma sighs, waiting to make sure that she is asleep.  
  
Ali Cia is pulled into slumber, having lost herself with Korunue. She stays pressed close, though. Gamma sits down and seems to stare out in at the waterfall.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Gamma looks back over to Ali and Kor. He smiles for a moment and then goes back to whateven he was thinking about. Korunue's fever seems to be fading faster... she glows purple.  
  
Gamma goes over to the water and closes his eyes. A glass cup forms in front of hin and he gets some water from it. He brings it back over to Kor. "Here, drink this."  
  
Korunue is unconcious. Ali Cia stirs, semi wondering why Korunue is glowing purple. She can feel the energy from it.  
  
Gamma looks at her aura, trying to remember when he saw it before. Korunue 's magic is aiding her immune system in fighting off the virus, now that her subconcious is sure that it'd be a good idea. Gamma smiles at this and puts the glass with water over near her. However, there is a downside... the magic suddanly makes her burst into magical flame as it tries to "purify" her at the same time... oops.  
  
Ali Cia is immediately awakened. Gamma backs up a little, wondering what that is about. The powers search Kor's mind, seeing the dragon as no threat to the jewel, and thus merely tickle a little to Ali. Korunue, though, wakes, and screams, as the flames burn away the last of the virus... and start on her youkai blood. Gamma looks at the flames. "STOP. Your hurting her!" The flames don't see it that way... they see her youkai blood as evil, and try and burn it out of her, as they would a curse... of course, if that happened they'd kill her by mistake... and the powers will have to find a rather pure newborn, disrupting the bloodline...Ali Cia winces, backing away. She screams.   
  
Ali: ~Korunue... what if.. what if I shift into a human?~  
  
Gamma holds out his hands. He braces himself and tries draining the magic like he did before.  
  
Kor:~It won't help... it only wants me....~ images of her power flood through. her screaming in anger and glowing before blacking out, her getting angry and shoving Gamma away with it.  
  
Ali: ~But.. doesn't it want a human?~   
  
The flames are absorbed, some of them, and begin to try and purify Gamma, while more spring up on Kor. Gamma grits his teeth, dark purple flames leaping around him to thy and combat Kor's magic. Korunue screams again, as the magic burns her blood, her ears especially catching... she tries to take hold of it, command it, but she's never been able to that easily... the flames will try to burn away anything in Gamma that is not human, or that is evil, or that smells of demon, so to speak.   
  
Ali Cia grits her teeth, reaching forward with her mind, wrapping it around the magic flames and trying to compress them, smother them if she can.  
  
Gamma screams out, trying to get a hold of whatever the magic is doing and make it stop. He falls to his knees, trying anything to stop it.  
  
Korunue sees Gamma and bites her lip. She orders the magic to stop. She pleads. She begs. She tells it that it will kill her. She tries to figure out what it wants... it's not sentiant, that's for sure. She has an idea.. she pictures a large dragon, coming at her, and wills the magic, all of it, to go battle the beast and protect the jewel. The magic searches Gamma's mind, looking for the bloodline, or a mention of the jewel. It stops purifying suddanly, confused. This being wasn't human enough for the jewel! and the jewel could not fall into youkai hands... the magic was protective of it.  
  
Gamma continues to grit his teeth. His tail lashing about and his wings wrapped around him. He feels it suddenly stop and starts breathing hard. Korunue screams in pain, crumpling, feeling as though her heart was being torn out of her. no good! It was killing her....how had she awakened it, mastered it, before?  
  
Kor: ~no, it wants me... it came down from oka-san.. mother...~ more images. Her becoming angry at her fate and making a dent in the cave wall, her fist glowing purple... ~anger! I have to control it... help me get mad!~  
  
Gamma looks over to Kor ans tries telling the magic in him to stop what the rest of it was doing to Kor, pleading to it to not kill her.  
  
Korunue stifles another scream. Pain... She thinks of Kiky, of Demona saying she was a failure, and forces herself to become angry. The pain eases a little, as she more forcefully commands the flames to die.. "help me get mad" she croaks, her throat dry.  
  
Gamma thinks of what could make her mad. "You wouldn't be able to beat me if you tried dog!"  
  
Ali Cia is shocked for a moment, but the message gets through. She thinks for a moment, then brings up a strong memory. She keeps the memory itself from Korunue, but the rage of the moment, the absolute rage seeps across the connection freely.  
  
Korunue becomes angrier and angrier, as Ali and Gamma both help her. 'you'll never amount to anything' she tells herself. 'worthless bitch.' She snarls at the air, the flames roaring up in repsonse.. then dying altogether. There are no burn marks on her body from this magical flame. She pants heavily.  
  
Ali Cia cuts off the sense of rage, pressing the memory to the back of her mind. She comes over to Korunue, nuzzling her gently. "Are you alright?"  
  
Gamma sits down, apparently still winded from when the magic tried purifying her. "I didn't mean that Korunue."  
  
Korunue pants, feeling drained from the experience. "thank you." she pants. "I know." she whimpers a little... she was still sore.  
  
"I'm sorry.." Ali whispers  
  
"For what?" she laughs suddanly, an almost eerie sound, seeing as how she hasn't laughed in ages...  
  
"Umm.." She doesn't know, and a tiny smile crosses her lips.  
  
Gamma smiles a little. "Well, I guess trying to absorb that was a bad idea. It seems fine now though."  
  
Korunue laughs harder, a joyous sound. Has she lost her mind? Gamma starts to chuckle a little himself. He feels glad that she seems to be a little happy.   
  
"I did it! Aldrea was right!" Korunue laughs.  
  
Ali Cia blushes slightly, beginning to laugh harder.  
  
Ali: ~Korunue, why are we laughing?~  
  
Kor: ~I did it! I did it! I controlled it! I told it to go and it went! Ronin will be so proud...~ the mirth dies in an instant.  
  
Korunue suddanly stops laughing, looking stricken, as if she had been slapped. She blinks, her ears drooping. Gamma looks over to Kor. "What is it? What was Aldrea right about?"  
  
"I... she said if I came here I might learn to control my magic." she sounds glum now.  
  
Gamma looks at her. "But you did. Isn't that a good thing?" Korunue nods. Gamma blinks. "Then why did you stop laughing? Its nice to see you laugh."  
  
"I... I miss Ronin. He thought it was a good idea to come here...."  
  
Ali: ~It's alright, Korunue. He knows you still love him.~  
  
Kor: ~i miss him...~  
  
Ali Cia does a mental equivalent of a hug. ~That I can understand. He's watching you, Korunue. His soul keeps an eye on you constantly. He's still there. I would bet that when you are happy, he is happy too. So be happy. Alright?~  
  
Gamma walks over to her and hugs her. HE dosn't really know what to say so he just hugs her. Korunue sighs. "thank you..."  
  
Kor: ~alright... i'll try...~  
  
Ali_Cia nuzzles Korunue gently.  
  
Korunue smiles at her, a little.She then lays down. She yawns,widely, and is asleep in minutes. Ali Cia lies down beside Korunue, closing her eyes. Gamma sits down as well, laying back on the ground looking up at the sky. 


	9. Of Beta and Bad Logs see gripe at end of...

Bikon and Beta  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Korunue gasps, suddanly, and sits bolt upright, breathing hard. Gamma leans back up. "What is it?"  
  
Korunue blinks, relaxing. "just a nightmare.." Ali_Cia covers her head, stirring slightly. Alone. Korunue looks at Ali, sighing. "poor Ali." she murmers. Ali_Cia whines slightly.  
  
Gamma looks over to her. "She was sharing your dream again right?"  
  
Korunue shakes her head. "her own bad dream."  
  
"Oh." HE looks over to Ali for a moment and then looks back to Kor. "Hey I almost forgot."  
  
"what?"  
  
"Beta said hello and that he's glad that you were laughing."  
  
Korunue blinks. "Beta... is that who I was talking to before, then?"  
  
Gamma nods. "Yeah. He's really nice. A lot nicer than Omega." HE seems to look a little annoyed.  
  
Korunue snorts. "coulda fooled me."  
  
"Well he was worried about you. He didn't want you to hurt yourself and he's a lot nicer than Omega. All he ever talks about is killing everything."  
  
Korunue shrugs. "You should meet Kiky. Now SHE'S evil."  
  
"Who's Kiky?"  
  
Ali_Cia groans and wakes up, shaking her head. "Uugh."  
  
"Kiky is, as far as I can tell, my father's first love. She's dead. She possesed me a few times... Mother's keeping her at bay, she said." she turns to Ali. "you alright?"  
  
"Does she just want you to hurt people?"  
  
"I'm alright, Korunue.." Ali murmers  
  
Korunue shakes her head. "She wants me to suffer, then die. She wants to use my body to torment others, and use it to kill my father, and get revenge, then kill me. painfully."  
  
Gamma thinks. "Well, I think Omega is somewhat the same way, except he just wants to take me over and then kill things. He couldn't really kill me but he could make me watch while he kills everyone."  
  
Korunue nods. "Kiky... she caught Ronin, once. He was so brave... I told him, once she left to rest after tying us both up.. I told him to leave me, to run, because she'd kill him if he stayed. He worked his way loose, with a broken arm, and kissed me, refusing to leave." she sighs, wistfully, remembering...  
  
Gamma nods. "I think the fact that Beta keeps Omega chained up is the only reason you havn't met him. Ali did and she said he was bad."  
  
Korunue nods. "Jenny, too... Jenny... I miss her sometimes. She never possesed me, but she could talk into my mind. Eventually, though, she turned out to be, not a wise crow or a friend, but an evil demon named Demona, who claimed to be the true Miko, that mother didn't want me to have the power..."  
  
Gamma thinks. "Does she turn into a black wolf and a dragon?"  
  
Korunue shrugs. "Can't be sure, but... I think that was her, yes. She was a wolf... she is always black, pitch-black, blacker than night."  
  
Ali_Cia closes her eyes, feeling tired. Weakness. She felt life draining out of her, spinning away into that infinate darkness.  
  
Gamma nods. "I think I saw her, but she didn't know who she was."  
  
Korunue blinks. "what? how.... that's strange..."  
  
Gamma shrugs. "She was fightign that other white wolf that was with the fairy that made me into this." His wings spread a little.  
  
Ali_Cia turns and heads into the water, lying down with her head on the land and the rest of her submerged. Korunue nods. "I remember.... she turned me into my true self as well." she looks ashamed, blushing and looking down.  
  
Gamma shrugs. "Well unless I look like some kind of yellow slitted eyed and black winged thing with really sharp nails inside."  
  
Korunue shrugs. "you saw what I am..." she doesn't look hopeful.  
  
"I think she got it wrong"  
  
Korunue shakes her head, and looks at Ali. "Ali.... come on over here and sit with us."  
  
Ali_Cia shakes her head. Gamma shrugs. "Well either way you did help me a lot."  
  
Korunue nods, sighing. "Life was simpler as a bitch."  
  
"But I like you as you."  
  
Korunue shrugs. "deep down, that's who I am. I knew this... the fairy just made it a little more public." she looks at Ali. "come on... you don't look so good..."  
  
"No thank you." she murmers.  
  
Gamma looks down. "So I really am a monster that will destroy everything."  
  
Korunue looks at him. She seems about to say something, then thinks again. "Gamma... something's really wrong with Ali..."  
  
Gamma looks over to Ali, trying to see what is wrong with her. Ali Cia is being "tapped into," her energy being drained away by.. something. Gamma tries to find where the energy is going while talking to Kor. "Your right. Something is wrong."  
  
Korunue sighs. "I shoulda said something earlier..."  
  
The energy is going down into the ground. Gamma blinks. "That dosn't make any sense." He tries to find were exactly its going.   
  
Korunue blanches. "uh-oh.... not...." she swallows, looking to Ali.  
  
The energy is going deep into the earth, to some point that's hard to find. Gamma blinks. "Her energy is just goign straight into the ground. I can't tell exactly where but its pretty deep."  
  
Korunue nods, staring at Ali, compassion in her eyes. "my offer still stands." she says, simply.  
  
"Korunue... don't..." Ali murmers, then switches to thoughtspeak.  
  
Gamma looks to Kor. "Does this have to do with that big black thing?"  
  
Korunue nods slowly. "Ali..."  
  
~You are stronger than you think.~  
  
Gamma looks back to Ali and then to Kor. "I'll help."  
  
Korunue finally breaks her gaze and looks to GAmma. She nods, smiling faintly, though still looking grim. "if it comes down to it... " she murmers. "If it comes to that, I will be the one to help."  
  
"Well, then I'll help you then." He sits back, closing his eyes to track the energy flow. Korunue sits, brooding, until she falls asleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next thing she is aware of is their mental rapport: Pain, spinning, darkness. Around and around, nothing to touch, nothing to hold. Alone. Ali stirs slightly in her sleep, then goes silent again. Gamma stirs as well, his tail moving a little as he turns to one side. Korunue wakes. Gods, she felt aweful... everything was kinda far-off seeming... she found the water next to her and drinks it down greedily. She felt a little better... she heads down to the water and refills the glass, drinking until her thirst was quenched. Then she looks to Ali. Fear, concern, worry... once her head clears anyway. Gamma is seen sleeping near her, his wings wrapped around him. Ali shivers, curling up tighter. Weakness. She felt life draining out of her, spinning away into that infinate darkness.  
  
Korunue heads over to Ali, scooping her into her lap gently. "shh, shh... it's ok... nothing will hurt you. I swear." she whispers. Ali didn't even register the hug. All she knew was that spinning, infinate emptiness. So cold...Comfort, as much as Kor can muster, sends across, and as much warmpth as Kor can get up. Also a vague sense of Kor's own weakness. Ali Cia shivers again, uncontrollably. But it wasn't caused by Korunue. Gamma stirs a little more, his tail moving a bit and his wings shifting a little. Korunue begins to weep, softly. She holds Ali close, trying to warm her with her own body... Ali is slowly lulled out of her dream, back into peaceful unawareness.She begins to pull out of it, awakening, her head foggy, her body still tired.  
  
Gamma slowly starts to awaken. He leans up and blinks his eyes sleepily. He streaches out his arms and yawns. Korunue does not see Gamma awakening, her head bent over Ali, her hair in her face, weeping softly. "ali..." she whispers. Ali stirs, groaning slightly, and begins to pull out of it, awakening, her head foggy, her body still tired. Gamma rubs his eyes as he looks around, his jet black wings streaching as his does. Korunue stops crying, wiping her eyes with one hand franticlly, and tries to look cheerful.  
  
Gamma looks over to Kor and smiles. "Good morning."  
  
Ali_Cia opens her eyes, looking up at Korunue's weeping face. "What's wrong..?"  
  
Korunue smiles, weakly. "good morning." she replies to Gamma. her tears are gone now. "nothing... are you alright?" she asks Ali.  
  
"Just tired."  
  
Korunue nods. "Normal tired, or energy-sucking tired?" Kor would let no white lies get past.  
  
"The.. energy."  
  
Kor: ~do you think it's Him?~ no doubt as to who the He was... red, gleaming eyes in the darkness...  
  
~I don't know..~  
  
Gamma streaches again. "I think I need to get more sleep."  
  
Korunue looks grim. She nods to Gamma. "If there's anything I can do... anything at all..."  
  
Gamma shrugs. "Well all I said is that I a little tired, but if I think of anything I'll tell you allright."  
  
Ali: ~Korunue.. if you sacrifice yourself... I'd.. oh, Korunue... you have to stand up to him, don't surrender.~  
  
Korunue looks back down to Ali. She sighs. "no, don't start. I know what you think. I don't care." Ali_Cia whines slightly.  
  
~Ali.. I have nothing else to give... you need someone strong, like Aldrea, or even Kit, to protect you... ~  
  
~You are stronger than you think...~  
  
Gamma looks around, wondering about getting something to eat. He usually wouldn't have to worry that much but for some reason he was still tired. Tears slide down Korunue's cheeks. She says nothing.  
  
"Please." whispers Ali  
  
Korunue shakes her head vigourusly. "I'm not, and you and I and Gamma all know it."  
  
Gamma looks over to Kor as she mentions his name. "I know what?"  
  
"I'm not strong. Not like Aldrea, or Kit, or you... "  
  
Gamma shrugs. "I'n not that strong. I know that Beta had a hard time trying to keep you still when you got mad at him." He yawns again.  
  
"Korunue... they aren't here. They can't help me. You're here, you're strong. You can help me."  
  
Korunue nods, slowly. "I know. If you'll let me."  
  
"I don't want you to sacrifice yourself like that."  
  
Gamma blinks. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"it's the only way I can help!"  
  
"She wants to make a bargain with Astral Dragon, putting herself in my stead, but that won't help! With you out of the way, he can get me!" She shivers in fear.  
  
"I know pain. I live with pain. I can handle pain. It would take a lot to kill me... it would give you a lot of time, if I occupy his entire mind trying to kill me..."  
  
Gamma blinks. "You mean that black thing in that place you took me to get Kor?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"it's up to me anyways. There's no point in discussing it."  
  
Gamma blinks again. He seems to feel that somethign is wrong. "Well I don't think thats a good idea. What if he comes after Ali anyway?"  
  
She ducks slightly, then looks at the waterfall.  
  
Korunue shakes her head. "you and Ali would run, far, try and find a portal to go to another world. You could world-hop until you found some refuge. By the time he was done with me, you'd be worlds away." Kor lets go of Ali.  
  
Gamma looks over at the waterfall, trying to think of what is wrong and then turns back to Kor. "But then you would be left here with that dragon."  
  
Ali Cia feels an all time record of feeling helpless. ~Korunue... I'm going for a swim.~ She heads toward the waterfall, stepping into the water, and diving under.  
  
~be sure to come back up.~  
  
Korunue nods, looking him in the eye. "Ali doesn't want to let me."  
  
"Well I wouldn't let you either. There has to be another way to stop him." Gamma yawns.  
  
~Yes, Korunue..~ Ali Cia heads through the water, quietly, the coolness hardly seeming to make her feel better. In fact, it makes her feel worse now. She comes up in a cave that she knows is behind the waterfall, shaking herself off, and curling up in the darkness. She can picture it in her mind. Korunue, throwing herself at Astral Dragon's feet. He grins, snatching her limp body up, snapping her neck and tossing her aside like a rag doll. He then advances on her. A flash. The end.  
  
Korunue turns to watch Ali, not saying a word.  
  
Gamma stretches and looks over to where Ali is, trying to see if he can see any more of what is draining her energy.  
  
Korunue watches Ali go out of sight and sighs. "poor Ali." she murmers, keeping a close eye on the waterfall  
  
Korunue sends another picture, in response. Ali and Gamma fleeing, while Korunue shouts at the dragon. The dragon stopping to exchange words with her, and then taking her away to that other place. Her being defiant, causing the dragon to want to cause her misary, kill her slowly, make it painful. Meanwhile, losing track of Ali and Gamma. Their minds merge somewhat, creating a scinario together.  
  
Gamma would notice that it's going to the exact same place underground, but there's a new connection, energy flowing down into the earth.  
  
Gamma blinks. "Hey this is new." HE tries following that connection.  
  
Korunue blinks. "what?"  
  
He wouldn't be distracted so easily. No matter how much she begged, he would get rid of her quickly and head straight for Ali. Korunue would use her Miko powers, to FORCE him to pay attention. Even a flea can cause irritation to the largest of predators. And it only takes a second to go through a portal, and on to another, and another... He knows how to follow her. He's been doing it for so long. She could find Aldrea... Aldrea can protect her... She wouldn't know where to look.  
  
Gamma blinks. "Well theres another power drain connention like Ali's" HE follows it up to where its coming from.  
  
Korunue's eyes widen, then gloss over. "interesting."  
  
Gamma is quiet for a moment. "Well it's not Ali that this one is connected to."  
  
Korunue stares at the water intently, tears sliding down her cheeks.  
  
Aldrea would find her, then! Or maybe not Aldrea. There's dragonslayers for every world... she could pretend to be human, or just claim that the dragon had killed humans... say Kor was human, and the dragon had killed her! Kor would rather die than lose another one... "Korunue..." A flood of grief and helplessness, fear of losing Korunue, hits her full blast. Korunue is overcome with it, as it mixes with her own emotions. fear of losing Ali, helplessness at not being able to do anything... maybe she should just chase after Ali, swim after her... Ali Cia is frightened by that thought. She gets up, turns, leaps into the water and starts swimming back toward Korunue.   
  
Ali_Cia is seen under the water, swimming toward them franticly. She pulls herself up and onto the bank, stumbling over to Korunue and pressing close, even though she is sopping wet.  
  
Korunue breathes hard, pulling Ali close to her. "Ali... " Ali whines.  
  
Gamma looks over to Kor. "It's not you either."  
  
Gamma closes his eyes and tries to close off the connention to his energy.  
  
Korunue closes her eyes, against the heartache... "oh, Ali... you... you have to let me go sometime..."  
  
Ali Cia wraps her wings around Korunue. "No! No, no no!" she sobs, not wanting to let go.  
  
Korunue pulls Ali into a hug. She says nothing, eyes shut, tears sliding down her face. Ali feels like she can hold on forever, no matter what Korunue does.  
  
Korunue no longer belives in forever... forever ends. someone dies. Korunue feels tired, and stupid, and sad. Ali releases a mental sigh. She feels the same way, even on her own.  
  
Gamma sits there, still trying to stop whatever is draining his energy.  
  
The amount of energy drained is supressed, but it doesn't stop.  
  
Korunue looks up at Gamma. "did you find out what it was?" she asks, her voice hoarse.  
  
Gamma sighs. "Well whatever he's doing, he's decided to include me in his plans. I'm able to slow it down, but now stop it."  
  
Korunue turns pale. "Why not me? I have power and to spare...."  
  
"But I'm basically a battery anyway. All I actually eat is energy. Since I'm use to handling it I was able to slow the drain down, but we're goign to have to find out where it's all going to stop it."  
  
Korunue looks down. "and to think.. I'm the only one who still has her power intact, and I can't use it..."  
  
Gamma blinks. "What do you mean?"  
  
Korunue looks down. "I have to be mad to use it, remember?"  
  
Gamma nods. "Well I think that thing could make you pretty mad if we had to fight it."  
  
Korunue snorts. She stares at the water. "I can't be mad when I'm like this."  
  
"Maybe theres a way to use your powers without you being mad."  
  
Korunue stares at the water still. "maybe." she doesn't sound like she belives it.  
  
"Well I didn't think there was a way for me to not drain the energy out of everything I touch, but I'm able to do that."  
  
Korunue sighs. "maybe a ghost could protect Ali... Kiky was certainly powerful."  
  
"Well I still think stopping that dragon would solve a lot."  
  
Korunue shrugs, staring at the water. "maybe a nice swim would clear my head..." she murmers.  
  
"I don't know. I cant really go swimming."  
  
"Korunue..." ali whimpers.  
  
Korunue says nothing, as her mind closes itself off to Ali  
  
Ali is hurt, but she can do nothing. She is ready to take care of Korunue, though. Breathe for her, heartbeat, everything.  
  
Korunue looks to Ali. "don't be silly. you need to save your energy."  
  
"It won't waste energy, Korunue," she says almost accusingly.  
  
Korunue looks down, shamed by the accusitory tone. "alright." she says. She makes no move to swim.  
  
Ali closes her eyes and lies down.  
  
Korunue sighs. "I won't swim, then, Ali." she says, softly, gazing down at her.  
  
"It calms you, though. I won't be hurt if you swim."  
  
Korunue snorts. "calm is overrated. There is calm, and then there is too calm."  
  
"Would you rather experience it through me?"  
  
Korunue sighs, and lays back. "no." she says, softly. She surrenders herself to sleep.~Wake me if He comes.~  
  
~Alright...~  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
  
  
ok, see this?  
  
Session Close: Sun Apr 06 18:29:28 2003  
  
Session Start: Fri Jul 04 20:43:07 2003  
  
And this:  
  
Session Close: Tue Jun 10 21:10:07 2003  
  
Session Start: Fri Oct 03 16:17:39 2003  
  
and don't forget this:  
  
Session Close: Tue Jun 10 21:10:07 2003  
  
Session Start: Fri Oct 03 16:27:46 2003  
  
those are my 3 log files that I've been pulling from. @.@ Gamma's player has his hard drive wiped, Ronin's player was gone then, Ali's player doesn't log, and I have a BIG FLAMING HOLE!!!!! Yes, this is vexing! Yes, it's pointless because nobody reads this fic anywyas, or reviews except flames! Yes, I'm going to have to piece together what happened from the year-old memories of several teenagers! No, I might not be able to do it! Should I even bother trying? Review and let me know!!!!!!  
  
*goes to lie down from drain bamage caused by frusturation and having to think* 


End file.
